In a dark, ambiguous environment, minuscule particles drift slowly before the lens. The image focuses to reveal spruce trees and tall pines, while Innu voices tell us the story of this territory, this flooded forest. Muffled percussive sounds gradually become louder, suggesting the presence of a hydroelectric dam. The submerged trees gradually transform into firebrands as whispers bring back the stories of this forest.
Cinematography
Underwater forests become hellscape then elegy.
Sound
Dam roar crescendo as industrial violence made audible.
Director
Simon Plouffe
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The Innu of Nitassinan have faced forced displacement from hydroelectric projects since the 1970s; this film returns narrative control to the displaced.
Plouffe shot actual submerged forests from dam flooding, not constructed sets—the ghosts are real.
CA
