Angela’s Shadow

In director and co-writer Jules Koostachin’s drama Angela’s Shadow, a dark time of cultural upheaval in Canadian history is explored. In 1930s Ottawa, Angela (Sera-Lys McArthur) was the young Indigenous wife of European man Henry (Matthew Kevin Anderson). She is a socialite who passes as White despite her Cree background. She is reminded of a promise she made to return to Cree lands to visit her childhood nanny, Mary (Renae Morriseau), and Henry agrees to go. The night before they leave, she sees a forbidding shadow that begins to follow her. Henry is initially anxious about going to see the Cree, but his interest in anthropology soon conquers his fear, and he is delighted to explore the cultural differences. The Cree aren’t amused with his inquiries. While he sees it as a chance to delve into a strange culture, they can’t help but see him as captor and enslaver. 

Starting in the late 1800’s Indigenous peoples were sent to “residential schools” to be assimilated into White European culture. The schools were funded by the Canadian government and administered by Christian churches. When Angela tells Mary about the shadow, Mary decides it is time to reveal dark family truths to her. The shadow is the spirit of Angela’s twin sister, AaSheNii (Sierra Rose McRae). Since AaSheNii had darker skin, she was unable to pass as White and was sent off to a residential school, where she was starved to death by the nuns. Mary wants Angela and her future newborn to rejoin the Cree community and help bring peace to AaSheNii’s wandering spirit. 

“…a dark time of cultural upheaval in Canadian history…”

Meanwhile, Henry faces his own challenges. Mary asks two young Cree men, Isaiah (Asivak Koostachin) and Malachi (Mahiigan Koostachin), to take Henry on a hunting trip. They resent him, but they agree to show him their ways out of respect for Mary. She is not trying to help him, rather she wants him out of the way so she can have time with Angela. 

Henry has a psychotic break after a sweat ceremony, and he is also seeing the shadow of AaSheNii. It begins to sink in that his wife and unborn child are from a world that is alien to him and which is, from his perspective, low, uncivilized, and evil compared to Christian European culture. He insists that Angela return to Ottawa with him as his paranoia escalates into a deranged, murderous rage. Once Angela gives birth, Mary and Angela call upon the spirit of AaSheNii to protect them and the child from Henry.