Shaman
There’s nothing inherently complicated in Antonio Negret’s “Shaman.” In terms of being a possession thriller, we’ve seen a lot of these elements before. The initial possession, the uncertainty of what is happening, the trusting someone who believes in what is going on, the struggle for the individual’s soul, and the uneasy conclusion that leaves things open ended. Negret and his brother, Daniel (who wrote “Possessor” and is the screenwriter here), are not interested in reinventing the wheel, but in tapping into ancient practices in Ecuador, and the folly in Western religions to try to explain the nature of good and evil. It’s a very solid thriller in the genre.
Candice (Sara Canning) and Joel (Daniel Gillies) are Catholic missionaries in Ecuador. When we first see them, we are watching a baptismal ceremony in a stream. Their son, Elliot (Jett Klyne), is flying a toy airplane when he finds himself near the entrance of a cave. Local children tell him they are not allowed to go in. And yet, he does. What progresses is the nightmare that you probably knew was coming.
“Shaman” is the collision of western religion vs indigenous practices and thought, and that tension is the most fascinating aspect of the film. Even though they are our protagonists, the Negret brothers are doing something fascinating in this film- our main characters also double as antagonists in the film. Yes, their mission seems like a positive one, to spread the word of God and to bring their sense of community to the area, but “Shaman” also acts as a critique of the Western desire to bring their sense of values to indigenous cultures rather than trying to learn from them. That tension is a fundamental part of the film, and the white people at the heart of the story are certainly not the good guys in this story. Elliot’s curiosity, and lack of respect for the culture, unleashes an evil that had been dormant, and ruins everything they are trying to build. It’s an interesting twist on the possession genre that allows some new ground to come through; Antonio Negret has a strong sense of naturalistic images with dark supernaturalism, even as the narrative follows all of the familiar steps to its conclusion. That conclusion twists the knife even further, and makes it clear that- in trying to bring light to cultures that are not our own (or rather, their idea of light)- these people have only unleashed darkness. Maybe that is something we should take to heart.
