Les Voleurs de la nuit

The feminist and culturally specific Indigenous focal point in writer and director Danis Goulet's feature debut is admirable, but is muddled, dull and falls short in her attempt to intertwine a dystopian apocalyptic sci-fi story within it.

It started off really interesting and engaging as a apocalyptic sci-fi, but then once the cultural aspect became evident, I quickly lost interest and got bored, right up to the last 5 minutes of the ending. The 101 min runtime felt much longer with the slow pacing. The cinematography was excellent, the directing decent, and the performances quite good. It's a 6/10 from me.

"They will come for us, like they always do. We try to warn the others, because we know how far these people will go, and that they will come for them too."

In the not-so-distant future Niska navigates forest and city as she flees with her daughter, Waseese, from the soldiers and drones of a militarized government. When the injured Waseese is taken by soldiers and put in a reeducation camp, Niska seeks the counsel of a friend, a lover, and a band of Cree rebels who compete for her trust. Many among the Cree believe that Niska is the visionary guide, Ogunuheneechigew, who has come to help them return to a promised land and existence. Niska just wants to see Waseese again.

Myth, assimilation, the natural world, the infamous residential schools of North America, modern technology, and even Canada's long-standing fears of their southern neighbor are all deftly woven into an enthralling story by Danis Goulet, who is Cree, in her debut feature. Don't see Night Raiders for mind-blowing dialogue that would make Noam Chomsky faint out of sheer admiration, for the acting prowess of a Natalie Portman or Daniel Day Lewis, or for special effects that would make George Lucas look like a basket weaver. Instead see it for the impressive and comforting independent spirit, creativity, and heart of a gifted storyteller.

Could have been a great series though. The ending was lack luster and it just needed more umpgh* at the end. It like climaxed on a cliff and just went splat. I don't know what more I wanted though. I guess a happy ending but instead we were left with that weird taste after you drink a diet soda. Overall great movie though and definitely worth watching.

This is not a complete waste of time, howevver, there are better ways to use this time(wash dishes, fold clothes, look at moonlight), all of which may be less boring.

The initial story is interesting, especially for those who watched Children of Men, which is absolutely fantastic. That movie had some action, some thriller, story drama, compelling ending, great acting and you cared about the characters. This one has interesting concept, decent acting and.......nothing else. It appears the director is the writer who had an idea but needed someone else flesh out the story. It is extremely boring, you never really care what happens to anyone, and a tacked-on afterthought as an ending.

It did do one thing...made me go rewatch Children of Men.

There are reviewers who are going to say this movie is dull, boring, mediocre, no thrill or action, are probably just watching the wrong movie. Or at the very least got the wrong idea. While it's true the movie is not filled with action, it does have a decent story. So if you decide to watch the movie just be prepared.