From almost the very moment pictures started to move, there has been a never-ending debate on the status of cinema as a respectable artform vs pure entertainment. Compare the Oscar nominations to the top box office champions of any given year and you’ll find very little overlap (Last year’s Barbenheimer was a blue moon event). I go to the movies often and I find the crowds at non-profit arthouses like VIFF Centre or the Pacific Cinematheque to be almost a different species from the normies who cruise through the local Cinepelexes, never mind the rowdy throngs that pack the Rio on West Broadway.
The dichotomy in theatre audiences is also reflected in Canadian cinema as a whole. Many of the titles I review here are rather niche; designed for an intellectual film festival audience before eking out a limited theatrical release and fading into streaming purgatory. When attempts are made by Canadian producers at popular entertainment, the setting is often whitewashed into more marketable American trappings with only the credits containing any hint of Canadiana.
I’ve seen some hopeful signs of this inferiority complex begin to be overturned in recent times. Newly minted police procedurals Wild Cards and Sight Unseen take pride in their Canadian settings and have found success on both sides of the border. Earlier this year, Kelvin Redver’s Cold Road demonstrated that a meaningful Indigenous story could also make for a thrilling genre picture. And as Canadian festival season gets underway this fall, renowned Mohawk actress Kaniehtiio Horn writes, directs, and stars in Seeds, a fast, funny, and at times heartbreaking action thriller that will likely have a shelf life long after the last film festival of 2024 has wrapped up.
Horn stars as Ziggy, a Mohawk woman trying to make it in the big city of Toronto. Having accrued a large following as an online influencer, she has finally caught a break by signing a promotional contract with Nature’s Oath Seed Corp, a mega corporation seemingly dedicated to helping eradicate world hunger. Elated at the prospect of quitting her UberEats side hustle, Ziggy launches into her paid promotions with zeal, only to be derailed by an urgent request from her infused water-loving cousin Wiz (Dallas Goldtooth) to come home to the rez to house-sit her Aunt’s home while he goes fishing.
Saddled with piss-poor rez internet, Ziggy tries to make the best of things as she settles in with her cat Potato and tries out the company seeds in her Aunt’s garden. But when her cousin’s warnings and a Google search reveal that she may have inadvertently made a deal with the devil, Ziggy finds herself on the defensive as a sinister agent of the Seed Corp (Patrick Garrow) attempts to raid her Aunt’s home and steal special corn, bean, and squash seeds for the purpose of genetically modifying and patenting them for profit. She may be in over her head, but with the spiritual guidance of a subconscious Graham Greene (lampooning his host role on 90s TV show Exhibit A) and the strength of generations of her ancestors, all sorts of bloody revenge is possible.
Seeds is the type of movie with a lot on its mind, but a clever enough screenplay to never let things get bogged down in excess. Action, drama, and comedy beats are nearly perfectly calibrated with shocks and laughs coming in equal measure. Horn effortlessly inhabits the role of a kick-ass heroine while still allowing her to be vulnerable. She also handles the directorial reigns remarkably well on her first feature outing, crafting an engaging thriller with rich world building populated by finely drawn characters.
Regrettably, the film falters in the final act with a finale that’s bloody, memorable, and well-rendered, but ultimately un-earned. Horn takes her character and story to a darker place than the preceding events warrant and this may be enough to leave even the most forgiving audiences disturbed and bewildered (no spoilers here). It honestly feels like a reel is missing that allows Ziggy to psychologically make the leap to such a dark place. It’s not a deal-breaker, but does merit a discount.
If you’re resistant to the customary Oscar bait that fills out festival programs or bristle at the very thought of being force-fed Canadian content as some sort of quasi-patriotic duty, Seeds has just the right ingredients to cure what ails you. Best seen with the aforementioned Rio crowd.
7.5/10
Seeds screens as part of VIFF on Sunday Sept 29, 6:15pm @ The Rio Theatre