Basic, but solidly constructed and thoughtful, Seeds, the directorial debut of writer-star Kaniehtiio Horn, balances horror, comedy, and social commentary with a deft hand. Filled with knowing jokes, oft cited fears of indigenous peoples and farmers everywhere, and set to an absolutely banging score that matches 80s styled synths with some First Nations swagger and percussion, Seeds is an inspired genre effort with some good ideas.
While her aunt is off galavanting in New Zealand with their new boyfriend, and her cousin (a wonderful, scene stealing Dallas Goldtooth) is off harvesting fish for an unusually lucrative start-up, Toronto based social media influencer Ziggy (Horn) reluctantly returns to the Pine River reservation to watch the family property. Frustrated by the lack of cell service and wi-fi that’s somehow worse than having no wi-fi at all, Ziggy struggles to make and post videos for her latest client, a multinational seed corporation that seems compliant and philanthropic on the surface, and who are asking for three posts a week for the next six months. Ziggy’s cousin insists the company is an enemy to farmers everywhere, but she doesn’t believe it until mysterious henchmen start paying her a visit in a bid to steal her family’s heirloom seeds.
The idea to frame a horror comedy around the ill gotten grains of a Monsanto level seed company is a clever one that Horn puts to good use. Seeds has a lot of important issues on its mind regarding indigenous sovereignty and the rights of farmers to plant whatever they wish on their land, but Horn’s tone is never morose or didactic. Horn conveys precisely what needs to be said with wit and bursts of shocking, brutal violence that brings things back down to earth in a hurry.
The plot dynamics of Seeds are very basic, and there could stand to be a bit more character depth all around, but Horn never belabours the overall point. There’s solid action beats, some big laughs, and a clever running gag involving Ziggy constantly seeing legendary actor Graham Greene (reprising his role as, um, himself, as the host of long missed true crime show Exhibit A) in her dreams. There could be more to this, but Seeds still gets the job done effectively, and proves that Horn has a promising future behind the camera, as well as in front of it. And any film that builds to a killer reference to the criminally underrated genre masterpiece Clear Cut deserves a considerable amount of props.
Seeds screened as part of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. It is slated for a Canadian theatrical release on Friday, October 25, 2024.
