According to the director of “The Birds Who Fear Death“, Sanjay Patel, who has worked in the Oil & Gas sector for over 20 years, “Canada’s Oil & Gas industry has ravaged the wilderness, leaving behind a toxic legacy. What sparked my passion for this project were the tragic stories from Fort Chipewyan, an Indigenous community in Canada, where industrial development has led to increased cancer cases.” Using the aforementioned experience and stories, he has come up with a film that deals with the lives of the indigenous in Canada and the ways their lives have been disrupted. It is also worth noting that Since this is an Indigenous film, the filmmakers followed a significant media protocol in Canada, commissioned by Imagine Native, to ensure that Indigenous films respect and avoid cultural appropriation. In line with this protocol, the filmmakers conducted extensive consultations with Indigenous communities.
Adam and Ryan are waiting for their sick father, William, to die so they can receive his inheritance, despite the fact that they have been alienated essentially, for some years. Furthermore, Adam has already put down a significant downpayment to buy back their deceased mother’s restaurant, which was sold by their father, and is about to lose it in case he does not find additional funds as soon as possible. Upon William’s death, though, the two brother realise that he has given away his money to the indigenous people of Bird, a rural hamlet in Northern Canada, among which he has spent a large part of his life. Thus, the brothers embark on a journey to the Bird—to convince the chief of the band, Ed Whitford, to disclaim the estate or at least give them some of the money back. While in the area though, they find out a number of disturbing things about their father, while gradually coming closer to the locals, and particularly two women, Sharon and Constance.
Evidently, the story here is not exactly reinvigorating, with the ‘city boys’ in trouble finding their roots, love and changing their ‘foul’ ways essentially being a cliche. However, underneath this ‘package’, Patel has placed a number of significant aspects that deem his narrative rather intriguing. The comments about greed and trauma are evident, but the director also deals with the loss of cultural roots, the chronic health issues indigenous people face, also due to the exploitation of their land by big oil companies, who are the one of the main sources of the problems the locals are facing. In that aspect, intense immigration towards the urban centers, which is stripping the areas from youths, and alcoholism, emerge as two of the most significant here, with Patel embedding them nicely in the story.
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Furthermore, the twist in the end adds a rather impactful level of drama in the film, preventing it from becoming utterly romanticized, even if the very ending moves somewhat towards that direction. The concept of significant change coming only through sacrifice, though, is communicated quite well in both, in one of the best aspects of the movie.
The acting in the film could have been better. Adam Beach, a native himself, has charisma, but does not handle the intensely emotional moments well, with the same applying to Simon Baker as Ryan, who appears somewhat better, though, since his role is less demanding. The two female leads, on the other hand, Carmen Moore as Sharon and Tanaya Beatty
Constance are quite good in their roles, even if their behaviour in the movie is somewhat repetitive. In general, the romantic aspect of the movie could have been handled better, in an aspect that presents issues in both acting and writing.
Charles Hamilton’s cinematography is on a very high level, with him capturing the local area in all its glory, including the flora and fauna, and the environmental disaster that has been occuring there. Mark Goldman and Patel’s own editing results in a mid-tempo that suits the aesthetics of the movie, while at 102 minutes, the film does not overextend its welcome in any way.
In the end, “The Birds Who Fear Death” emerges as a mixed bag of a film, as the comments it makes and its subtext are quite intriguing, but the main presentation suffers somewhat. Definitely deserves a watch, though, by people who want to know of the specific native-American issues through the approach of the feature and not the documentary.
