Marking Danis Goulet’s feature directorial debut, “Night Raiders” is a dystopian sci-fi take on the history, and possible future, of colonialism and authoritarianism. It’s a bleak story that refuses to whitewash its themes or imagery, a relatable mother-daughter parable, and a heart-pumping thriller all rolled into one.
Weaving in allusions to events both past and present — such as Indigenous displacement, forced assimilation, Native boarding schools, eugenics, immigrant detention, family separation, drone warfare, the surveillance state, systemic racism, and the “purification” of national identity — “Night Raiders” is, at its core, about a woman fighting to save her daughter.
It’s a post-war North America in 2043. Niska (the actress and filmmaker Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers) has managed to raise her pre-teen daughter, Waseese (Brooklyn Letexier-Hart), on her own terms despite strict government rules about children and citizenship. Officially, all minors are to be turned over to the custody of the state. As for the adults, it seems only white, able-bodied, neurotypical, and rich people — or folks who are willing to fully comply with the regime, at the sacrifice of their own identity — are considered citizens. Everyone else is deemed a mooch who expects a handout, and has no choice but to live in the wilderness or in shanty towns reminiscent of refugee camps.
But Niska and Waseese have gone years using their Cree culture and traditions to live off the land, successfully evading the authorities, i.e. the “Jingos.” Eventually, they have to make a trip to the city, where Waseese is stolen from her mother. Waseese is taken to a state institution that functions like an extreme military school. She is trained to fight, kill, pledge complete loyalty to the regime — and forget about her former life. Meanwhile, Niska meets a group of Indigenous resistors, and with their help, plans to get Waseese back.
This year, the Toronto International Film Festival presented Goulet with the Emerging Talent Award for “Night Raiders,” and it’s easy to see why. Its story reckons with Indigenous history, and the legacy of colonialist violence, in a way that resonates in the here and now. There’s no way to watch the film without seeing in Niska and Waseese the very current horrors of family separation and reproductive injustice. “Night Raiders” presents a world that’s not terribly unlike our own, one in which the state decides who is fit to be a parent, or a citizen, or, hell, seen as a human being.
It’s grim, yet — thanks to Goulet’s creative, intelligent storytelling, the action, and the mother-daughter love story — you won’t be able to tear your eyes away.
“Night Raiders” is now in theaters and available on VOD. It previously screened at TIFF and the Berlinale.
