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The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open

Play trailer Poster for The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open 2019 1h 45m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
97% Tomatometer 35 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
After a chance encounter on the street, a woman encourages a pregnant domestic abuse victim to seek help.

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The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open

The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open

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Critics Consensus

The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open uses an encounter between two strangers as the catalyst for a thoughtful drama as poetic as its title.

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Critics Reviews

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Roxana Hadadi Pajiba 03/25/2020
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open relies on lengthy single takes to build intimacy and trust between us as viewers and the female characters at its center. Go to Full Review
Sophie Monks Kaufman Little White Lies 01/09/2020
5/5
It's rare to find a film of such bottomless depths. Go to Full Review
Peter Howell Toronto Star 12/12/2019
3/4
Quietly illustrates the eternal conundrum of trying to be good without being a do-gooder, and trying to be independent while also recognizing the need for a helping hand. Go to Full Review
Heidy Morales Hye's Musings 09/08/2020
5/5
Inspired by a very real and transformative moment... [the film] threads a delicately complex story of a chance encounter between two Indigenous women with drastically different lived experience, navigating the aftermath of domestic abuse. Go to Full Review
Luke Gorham In Review Online 07/29/2020
It's Nelson's presence which is most crucial to this film's success: her non-professional acting allows for many moving transitions between expressions of bravado and woundedness. Go to Full Review
Tim Brayton Alternate Ending 12/31/2019
4/5
An exquisitely felt human drama. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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08/09/2022 A heavy-handed slog of a movie. See more Facebook U 12/20/2021 Waste of 1:35 hours! What was the point of the movie? Was it supposed to show me something I havent seen before. I could walk outside, talk to any victim of homelessness, DV, a car accident, etc and get this same experience. It literally stops time for 1 hour and 30 minutes.Ill never get that time back. Not sure why so many people found this to be so great. It sucked! See more georgan g 01/03/2021 Feels like you are watching a documentary the acting is so good. There is so much to learn here. See more thomas l 12/30/2020 A personal and insightful tale for the other half, that represents the most oppressed group in this country, this world and the history of our species, because no matter how badly any group has ever suffered, their women have always suffered more. Well casted. Well Acted. Well crafted. See more 04/04/2020 The The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, is just pure trauma porn. Worse, it is exploitative of women it claims to want us to have empathy for. Rosie stays in the camera's gaze, with no agency and no escape from the gaze. This is not done ironically. This is done for the self aggrandizement of the filmmakers. This is white feminist guilt masquerading behind an Indigenous face - and feeling good about itself, because after all, Rosie goes back to the abusive boyfriend because she wasn't quite ready for her liberation. Please look closer and not be guilt ridden yourself. If this film was made by only a white person - and not co-directed with an Indigenous woman - would the reviews be so generous? Women who have really lived in the margins and on the street find this film lacking in authenticity and as about as sincere as a plastic trinket. See more dave d 03/29/2020 SHAKY CAM ALERT!! Ok, I've made it clear I can't stand shaky cam. Frankly, it's lazy filmmaking. It's a gimmick and it can work, but most of the time it just makes the viewer seasick. There's a worthwhile story here, but it's overwhelmed by decisions that didn't work for me. Filmed predominately in one long take, the picture has a realness. There's an everyday quality to the characters. After about 15 minutes I needed a break because I had a headache. I wanted to give this film the full attention it deserved. When I returned the next day I was impressed with the delicate performances of the two leads Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Violet Nelson. It was not only Nelson's first feature film, it was her first acting credit period. Tailfeathers also co-wrote and directed with Kathleen Hepburn. Interestingly, when the camera becomes more steady the film starts to congeal. The movie feels like it could be a documentary. It's a Canadian feature, but it's about a pair of indigenous woman who meet by chance. There just aren't enough films like this being made. Our natives have great stories and they should be hear just like anyone else. Often our indigenous are the forgotten minority. What's worse than shaky cam? Shakey cam in a car! Holy Crap! I want to like this, but watch it on the biggest screen you have or be prepared to be annoyed. Behind it all there is a compelling story that needs to be told, but there are many distractions. I would have loved this film to be a little less gimmicky. Your milage will vary depending on whether or not you like the gimmicks. Final Score: 6.3/10 See more Read all reviews
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open

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Movie Info

Synopsis After a chance encounter on the street, a woman encourages a pregnant domestic abuse victim to seek help.
Director
Elle-Maija Tailfeathers, Kathleen Hepburn
Producer
Tyler Hagan
Screenwriter
Kathleen Hepburn, Elle-Maija Tailfeathers
Distributor
Array Releasing
Production Co
Violator Films, Film Farms, Oslo Pictures, Experimental Forest Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 29, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 27, 2019
Runtime
1h 45m
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