When the first words of a film is someone saying “f**k you” to a dying soul in a hospital bed—my attention is aroused. Yet, the what and why of this situation, which proceeds to unfold, and what is the film The Birds Who Fear Death, directed and written by Sanjay Patel, is an interesting perspective on modern-day Indigenous community life and death.
Adam (Adam Beach) swears at his father as he and his brother Ryan Spence (Simon R. Baker) wait for him to die to receive an inheritance, which solves many of their problems and feeds their greed. Ryan wants to own their deceased mother’s restaurant and has made a deal, which would be possible with an inheritance. As for Adam, his anti-Indigenous disgust would be less and less of an issue with more money in his pocket. Only their father had something else in mind, which his sister, the brothers’ Aunt Marilyn (Michelle Thrush), presents to them, sparking her nephews to seek answers.
As it turns out, the money was given to the people of Bird, an area in Northern Canada with limited access, and not to Adam and Ryan. They decide to fight for their inheritance and visit the home of their father and their ancestral indigenous roots. However, the community is ravaged by illness, and the land has been poisoned by industry, for which the people of Bird blame Adam and Ryan’s father. Adam, unafraid, and Ryan, more cautious, take a trip to Bird to ask Chief Ed (Graham Greene) for their inheritance.
“…the community is ravaged by illness, and the land has been poisoned by industry…”
From the cosmopolitan life of the city to the distant land of Bird, Adam and Ryan venture off to a place they don’t know, but it knows them—extremely well. At the Nobody Inn, Adam and Ryan plan their battle to contest their father’s will and to have Chief Ed agree to provide them with an inheritance. Only the Chief is ill, and Faddy (Glenn Gould) must be convinced.
In the meantime, they meet and mingle with all those in power so that the people of Bird can understand the path to their inheritance. They learn who their father was trying to be, which is different from the legacy the people of Bird believe. Correcting the past, understanding the value of Indigenous people’s connection to the land, and finding their souls are central to The Birds Who Fear Death. As Adam and Ryan uncover purpose and respect for Bird, they decide to help and split the inheritance between Bird and them. It all seems to be in order until it’s not.
Adam Beach is a convincing character, and along with Simon R. Baker, there is a higher power of understanding for this story and the people involved, especially for their land, which Graham Greene cuts to the chase. All the women, including Shannon (Carmen Moore) and Constance (Tanaya Beatty), provide Adam and Ryan with firm conviction, character, and guidance, especially where a few men fail. However, The Birds Who Fear Death offers an unexpected ending, one of an Indigenous people’s journey, “looking for Mother Earth,” and self-reflection.
The Birds Who Fear Death is a mindful film about living and what is left behind. It’s a conscious effort to tell a soulful and connected story about Indigenous people.
"…a mindful film about living and what is left behind. "
