Hold up, cinephiles! Filmmaker Wayne Wapeemukwa is about to drop his latest flick, ‘Manhunt’, at the 79th Locarno Film Festival, and trust me, it’s a whole vibe. This Michif director, known for his gritty storytelling, isn’t holding back, calling his new film, straight up, ‘a film about fascism.’ Based on real-life murders in Canada from 2019, ‘Manhunt’ takes a ‘deep dive’ into some seriously heavy themes: we’re talking disconnection, alienation, modern masculinity, and how those digital fantasies can go sideways into far-right ideologies. It’s definitely not your typical true-crime narrative, according to the report; instead, it’s a haunting exploration that’s likely to shake viewers to their core.
Wapeemukwa, who previously snagged the best Canadian feature at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2017 for his debut ‘Luk’Luk’I’, is no stranger to shining a spotlight on folks pushed to society’s margins. With ‘Manhunt’, he’s diving headfirst into why these violent acts even happen, looking past the surface-level facts of a killing spree. As the article states, the film follows two young men on a road trip, fleeing their dead-end lives, only to find their realities blurring between the digital world and the harsh offline one. It’s a legit look at how a search for meaning can just erupt into violence.
Part of Wapeemukwa’s unique perspective, as a Michif filmmaker, is shaped by a profound understanding of land and community. He shared insights from an elder who emphasized that when young men feel disconnected from the land, it really means they’re disconnected from their community. This isn’t just some ‘blood and soil’ thing; it’s about a communal way of relating. His research for the film, which went down over seven years, revealed that many mass murderers and white supremacists share this common thread: social pressures, poverty, and a deep sense of isolation, leading them to feel separated from society.
The director isn’t shying away from calling it like it is. He views ‘Manhunt’ as a powerful statement on the resurgence of fascism, even suggesting a ‘homegrown form of Canadian National Socialism or Canadian Nazism.’ He brings up Aimé Césaire’s idea of a ‘boomerang effect’, where fascism circles back, hitting the Americas after its destructive path through Africa and Europe. For Wapeemukwa, the film shows these young men as universal stand-ins for figures we’re seeing pop up across the globe, indicating that the systemic and economic issues that birthed fascism in the 20th century are, unfortunately, still very much alive and kicking.
Wapeemukwa also drew from a personal, heartbreaking experience with a friend who, facing poverty and drug-related social crises, turned to prejudice. He references Jean-Paul Sartre’s ‘Anti-Semite and Jew’, explaining how people often seek scapegoats when facing personal hardship, rather than addressing the real culprits in positions of power. Fascism, as he points out, is ‘shady’ because it actively distracts from those systemic problems, redirecting blame onto social categories instead of holding society’s leaders accountable. This insight really ‘hits different’, making you think about how easily folks can be manipulated.
Visually, ‘Manhunt’ is designed to be both beautiful and unsettling, featuring video game scenes that blur the line between virtual and real. Wapeemukwa made a conscious choice to bookend the film with Indigenous presence – a Secwépemc medicine woman and a white man he cast as Métis – while intentionally making Indigenous people absent from the middle section. This powerful framing, inspired by Kanien’kehá:ka anthropologist Audra Simpson’s ‘Mohawk Interruptus’, aims to portray Indigenous dispossession through absence and, crucially, to position Indigenous peoples as ‘bordering’ and ‘containing’ settlers, reversing the typical narrative.
Ultimately, Wapeemukwa wants audiences to feel the weight of his film, even if it’s bleak, much like the legendary Michael Haneke, whom he sees as a North Star for this approach. It’s not about punishing viewers, but making them work through emotions to process the on-screen violence. He aims for ‘political cinema’ that speaks directly to those who feel ‘blackpilled’ by society, showing that while the characters’ choices are awful, the objective causes animating their actions are real and need serious discussion. This film is a bold wager on confronting those difficult truths head-on, no cap.If you enjoyed this article, share it with your friends or leave us a comment!
Livia Dorne covers film, television, music, and pop culture with a keen editorial perspective. She delivers engaging commentary, reviews, and behind-the-scenes insights that keep readers connected to the entertainment world. Her style blends critique with storytelling.
