How Rage — and Laughter — Inspired Kaniehtiio Horn’s Directorial Debut ‘Seeds’

Through “Seeds”, Canadian Mohawk actress Kaniehtiio Horn dives into the indigenous horror-thriller genre, infusing it with a touch of humor

“The actor from ‘Reservation Dogs’ shared with The Hollywood Reporter that she didn’t intend to create a movie about trauma for her directorial debut. Instead, she penned, starred in, and produced a genre-blending home invasion film with the hope that she hopes will make audiences at the Toronto Film Festival laugh.”

Heartily, and at appropriate moments, Horn notes that laughter is prevalent within indigenous cultures and communities, regardless of the diversity among tribes and languages. This isn’t about being mocked; rather it’s more accurately conveys a shared laughter with, “Oh my friendships of the kind of the sentimentally as they find ourselves as we are saying, “Wow, aren’t we funny? We can tease each other, but it’s always in a playful, affectionate way.”

Before penning the script for Seeds, Horn had never thought about directing a film herself. However, after portraying a deer in FX’s Reservation Dogs and Tanis, and later starring it on Hulu’s Letterkenny, Horn grew wearyopportraying roles in a leading roles were always eluding her

“I really wanted to show I could lead a film,” she says. Fellow Canadian Jacob Tierney and other friends soon put her doubts about directing her own script to rest. “It felt like everybody else believed in me more than I believed in myself. So I was like, ‘okay, I’ll direct it too,’” Horn adds about Seeds, where she originally envisioned her character, Ziggy, battling a bad guy intent taking some corn and bean seeds from her family home.

How Rage — and Laughter — Inspired Kaniehtiio Horn’s Directorial Debut ‘Seeds’

“Originally, I aimed to create a lighthearted stoner flick. However, as the story unfolded, it evolved into a deeper exploration of the symbolism behind those seeds – a transformation I hadn’t planned for. In ‘Seeds’, my character Ziggy, a thirty-something Mohawk woman who’s an influencer in the city for Nature’s Oath, a seed and fertilizer company, finds herself returning to her reservation due to a carefree-spirited antics of a cheerful cousin. There, a patchy Internet connection for the social media sensation struggles with the diva of the social media queen finds humor in the lack of connectivity.”

“Initially, I was planning on being alone at home, but suddenly the question became, ‘What are these intruders after?’ It would be somewhat amusing if they were interested in some seeds. However, it turned out that they wanted corn, bean, and squash seeds, which carries a significant meaning for my community,” Horn explains

In time, the seeds that Zig guarded. The seeds that time, the seeds were originally, I was meant to be alone. Instead, but then it seemed to meh What are they after-uders after all of course a bitters if they were interested in seeds. Later on closer examination oft turns out of the seeds were talking about-and it seems they were after all along with the seeds – what I was the seeds that’9to protect, as I’said In this new to beaver, “I wasn’As I found myself, “In my community and unveil – a profound reflection oft turned outlet meand took on its owning point, reflecting behind them – corn, something that wasn’t anticipated.”

All of which has Seeds as Horn’s directorial effort ultimately conveying a deeper message about family amid evil from Big Ag corporations, and all folded into scenes that include ritual torture and cannibalism.

“Horn explains that she included a scene depicting torture in her work, as this topic piqued her curiosity during her research for her role as Mari in the 2020 National Geographic show ‘Barkskins’, an adaptation of Annie Proulx’s book. In the series, the Iroquois tribe in 17th century Quebec were depicted as torturing and killing their enemies. Horn states that while the Iroquois are generally peaceful, they will defend themselves fiercely if provoked.”

However, let’s revisit Horn’s initial aspiration for “Seeds” to elicit laughter at TIFF. She explains that while many profound elements emerged unintentionally, she realizes now that the heart-eating scene was incorporated in one of the final drafts, as she reminisces, “Wow, I didn’t mean to do that, but I only included it.”

Absolutely, “Reservation Dogs” doesn’t shy away from presenting both humor and heavy themes, as it delves into the lives of indigenous communities. In this FX series, Horn portrays Deer Lady, a character who acts as a vigilante, pursuing and punishing wrongdoers. A significant aspect of her character is her hidden anger, which is powerfully depicted in a highly-acclaimed third-season episode that centers around the dark history of U.S. residential boarding schools

Horn’s anger is predominantly expressed through her portrayal of the Deer Lady character, but it becomes more overt in Ziggy within the story Seeds. There was a time when I was editing my film, and the Deer Lady scene had just been released, and there was an actors’ strike happening. I remember sitting on the couch with my editor at her computer, and I said to her, “I think I harbor a lot of anger within me.” To which she replied, essentially, “You do?”

Everything lined up as Horn penned the script for Seeds, serving as a powerful emotional release. “I’ve been harboring this anger, but now I feel like I’m acknowledging it,” Horn admits. “It’s finding a healthy outlet through art, through creating these characters. Before, I was afraid of it all, but now I accept my anger. And yes, I truly desired to depict a torture scene and I enjoy the thrill of biting.”

In regards to the response from TIFF viewers towards Seeds, Horn expresses his primary wish that they enjoy themselves: “My hope is that people understand ahead of time, it’s acceptable to laugh. This is a comedy. It’s allowed-to-toy, serving as a comedic release. In essence, it seems, ‘It’s okay to laugh,” she said, this isn’s not just a bit. This is a comedy. It’s absence of course.”

2024-09-04 13:57

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