The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open is a film that leaves you shaken, thoughtful and changed. Its quiet intensity and immersive realism demand emotional investment, pulling you into every scene and unfiltered moment. The film lingers long even after its open-ended conclusion.
The 2019 Canadian indie film follows the sudden meeting of two very different Indigenous women. Áila (played by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers) is a middle-class woman navigating her own personal struggles, while Rosie (Violet Nelson) is a young, pregnant woman escaping domestic abuse.
Their journey is tense and deeply touching as Áila tries to help Rosie in the aftermath of domestic abuse. Their interactions are handled with sensitivity, making us question how trauma shapes a person’s ability to trust and accept help.
Tailfeathers and co-director Kathleen Hepburn make unconventional storytelling choices. Rosie remains silent until the 12-minute mark of the film, making you unsure of what’s happening. This is what sets the film apart. The story unfolds in what feels like a single, continuous shot, adding urgency and making each moment feel extremely real.
There is no background music to cue emotions, no overly dramatic dialogue. Instead, the film relies on natural conversations, long silences, intense close-ups and the reality of abuse, making it feel more like a documentary than a scripted film.
The cinematography is intimate, placing the viewer within the characters’ world. This choice of cinematography has an emotional impact, making Rosie’s pain and Áila’s concern even more palpable and real. Every glance, hesitation and silence carries meaning, forcing us to sit with the discomfort and complexity of their experience.
Tailfeathers’s background as both an Indigenous filmmaker and actor brings an authenticity to the storytelling as it resists harmful stereotypes that are often found in mainstream media when they talk about Indigenous women.
Violet Nelson delivers the most unforgettable performance as Rosie. She is heartbreakingly real. Her silence, body language and expressions communicate more than dialogue could.
Nelson’s portrayal of Rosie is one of vulnerability but also quiet resistance, a reminder that survival is an ongoing, exhausting battle. Her choices may sometimes be difficult to understand, but they feel deeply human.
Beyond its own story, the movie offers a strong commentary on the systemic problems Indigenous women encounter as the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) looms in the background.
Rosie’s struggle is more than just an individual experience; it reflects the failures of institutions designed to help vulnerable women.
Indigenous women have historically been neglected by law enforcement, shelters and healthcare systems, leaving them without the necessary protection and assistance.
The film not only exposes these failures but forces them into the spotlight, showing how survival is possible despite the lack of institutional support. Kindness and support alone cannot heal years of trauma or resolve deeply entrenched systemic issues. Real change is slow, complicated and painful.
The film is critically acclaimed and received an honourable mention from the Best Canadian Film Award jury at TIFF in 2019 and soon after was named to TIFF’s year-end Canada’s Top Ten list.
It earned over 17 nominations across various categories and shows, winning 14 awards. This is more than just a film. It is an artistic piece shedding light on urgent social issues through a raw, unfiltered lens.
In the end, The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open is slow, quiet and emotionally heavy, mirroring the way trauma is experienced. It’s a demanding watch that may not be for everyone, but it is undeniably powerful and leaves you thinking about the complexities of human relationships in the aftermath of violence.