Kímmapiiyipitssini : The Meaning of Empathy

After her highly acclaimed feature film The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, a social drama about the lives of two Indigenous women in East Vancouver, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers wrote and directed Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy in 2021, a hard-hitting documentary on the opioid crisis in her Kainai community in Alberta.

Rolling up her sleeves, the director takes on multiple roles in the film – narrator, filmmaker, and investigator – confronting a hidden or forgotten reality as she meets with community members affected by addictions that have passed from generation to generation. From alcohol to cheaper substitutes like solvents that destroy the stomach, or fentanyl, which became widespread in the 2020s, these addictions leave bodies shattered and minds imprisoned by the legacy of residential schools, assimilation, and colonization. The filmmaker traces the root of this crisis, linking the colonial past to generations of Indigenous people mired in social misery.

In the field, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers encounters everyday heroes: doctors and volunteers dedicated to saving lives. Her work cleverly juxtaposes the scope of this social commitment with the harsh realities faced by many victims who struggle to access detox centers and effective treatment. Waiting lists are long, bureaucracy is overwhelming, and budget cuts threaten the support organizations' missions. Yet, these government-funded programs remain the best path out of this crisis, offering help to current victims and saving future generations. Over the seasons, the filmmaker forms strong bonds with her characters. In the plains of Southern Alberta, the Rockies rise in the background like a postcard, but the Kainai lands are haunted by memory and a plague we must fight.

Bruno Boëz
Producer, critic and programmer