imagineNATIVE '18 Film Review - Sgaaway K'uuna (Edge of Knife)

Two extended families from the Haida Culture spend their summers on the Haida Gwaii Islands. They set up camp weave baskets, fish and hunt and dream of Black Cod  Their time spent on the island is far from a vacation. The food the catch and clothes that they make will serve the community for the upcoming winter. Adiits'ii (Tyler York) is a young free-spirited member of the group. He promises grandiose things but often fails to deliver. He is looked up to by Kwa's (Willy Russ) son who hopes that he will take him out fishing. Kwa is against the plan knowing Adiit'ii nature but the pair go out anyway leading to tragedy.

Adiit'ii returns to the island and goes off into the woods turning into the fabled Wildman (Gaagiixid) as the grief-stricken remainder of the families leave the Island for the winter. A good portion of the middle portion of the film follows Aditt'ii as he is alone on the island. He slowly transforms into the Gaagiixid seeming to punish himself at every turn likely out of guilt from the earlier events.

The rest of the tribe return the next summer soon realizing that he is alive and in need of help. Kwa struggles with this the most and he has suffered a great loss due to Additt'ii. His first thought is of revenge as opposed to helping.

Directors Helen Haig-Bown and Gwaai Endenshaw produce a film in a rapidly disappearing language set in the 19th century. Today only a few handfuls of people speak the Haida language. The film is set on the traditional Haida islands (Queen Charlotte Islands) in Northwest B.C. The remoteness of the location lens itself well to this story set at a time when the canoe was the main form of transport and one looked at the sky to determine the weather. It's a compelling tale that thrives in its long stretches of minimal to no dialogue. An important look into a culture near lost that is well worth a watch.

*** Out of 4

 Sgaaway K'uuna (Edge of Knife)  Helen Haig-Bown / Gwaai Endenshaw | Canada | 2018 | 100 Minutes.

Tags: Haida Gwaii | Haida Language, Gaagiixid, Canoe, Fishing, Weaving, Summer Camp, Knife, Mask, Fire.