Links between movie & novel

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 The movie Indian Horse is about native residential schools, abduction, violence, trauma, racism, and all of those terrible things that a lot of the Natives we know today have been through. Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend the workshop related to those same themes. However, I can try to put myself in the shoes of a native having to experience this. In the movie, we follow the story of Saul, a young native person who has been abducted from his family to be assimilated in a residential school. There, he witnesses and is a victim of physical and verbal violence, sexual assault, and discrimination. The only way to get out of this terrible place was for him to play hockey and be recruited into the team. For me, well, I’m a girl and I can’t play hockey, but if I imagine myself in Saul’s place, I would most probably feel useless, abandoned, and lost. Then again, I wouldn’t be able to conceive not seeing my family for the rest of my days. The character Saul is inspired by Arthur Quoquochi, an Atikamekw still alive to this day. Even if the movie is not a true story, I admire the bravery of Saul, and my heart goes to all of the natives who had experienced this.


Love and family are both important themes constituting the movie Indian Horse and the novel The Hundred Secret Senses. In the movie, Saul considers other residential school children like his own siblings. He would do anything to defend and help them get out of trouble. For instance, at some point in the film, Lonnie, his friend from the beginning, got locked up in a cage in the basement. Saul went to see him and brought him food in secret. He even begged an adult to let Lonnie out. This example proves the love Saul has for the other residents, whom he considers his family. On the other hand, in the novel The Hundred Secret Senses, the theme of family is also ubiquitous. Kwan has an unconditional love for Olivia, her half-sister. In the book, Kwan tries her best to help Olivia be happy and fulfilled. She insists so much for Olivia to get back with Simon because she knows it will make her happier. With this in mind, both artworks are about family and how important it is to take care of it. 


Another key point to remember is that the message that the movie Indian Horse is trying to convey is the fact that in order to heal, you must return to your roots. You need to acknowledge what you have been through and then move forward to live in peace with your past. At the end of the movie, we see Saul going back to the residential school, years later. Then, we see him paddling in a canoe with the intention of going back to where his family lived when he was young. Both of these places are his roots, even though one of them brings back dreadful memories.


Rosalie 

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