In today's cinematic blockbuster realm, we are enamoured by glamorous scenes and CGI, pulled into repetitive series of familiar stories and choose movies based on who is acting in them. We don't always get the opportunity to come into a theatre expecting something new with emotionally grasping storylines.
Abducted - The Movie, directed by Daniel Foreman, took me by surprise! This was intelligent, spiritual, tense, and terrifyingly realistic, all while truly encapsulating the daily suppressions of the systemic racisms that are still so hard wired into our society and bringing awareness to the formidable "Highway of Tears", where so many indigenous women and girls have gone missing. To weave all of this into a spiritual thriller with thick plot lines was impressive.
Foreman teamed himself with a stellar cast. The relationships and characters were all portrayed without a Hollywood façade, giving natural emotional connections to the ever-growing character development that takes place throughout the whole film. Everyone had a story to tell and a reason for being who they were; there was a complete cycle of cause and effect for everyone, including the villain. This really fed into the story, bringing you right next to the characters as they strive to survive within their own realms of struggle within society.
The ending gives an honest and inspirational take-away, reminding us that family and appreciation of culture are important, as well as asking for help after traumatic events. They then finished off the film giving one last message of awareness and perspective on the ongoing series of cases to MMIWG.
The summary and the trailer barely scratched the surface of what the movie actually offered and to be honest, I would probably have to watch it a couple more times to gather all the deep underlying layers intertwined into the web of this film. It's mysterious, thought provoking, socially conscious and intense... with a little quick-whit humour spun in for some relief.
You need to see it!
