Stellar is not just a movie about two strangers who met in a bar and fell in love with each other. It sounds very familiar but in this case it’s not that simple. This film is not only about this. It has deeper layers and is more than just a story about indigenous love.
It’s a story about the importance of connections between people, the universe and nature. We are all connected with nature, as well as with people in our past and future. This universe, full of charming art and surrealism, is portrayed by director Darlene Naponse in her film Stellar. This film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
In many ways, Stellar is a thoughtful film that leads audiences to think about what’s happening with our history and nature. So what is this film about?
THE TRUE LOVE STORY OF STELLAR
A wonderful story between She (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers) and He (Braeden Clarke) takes place in a little bar in Northern Ontario. She is looking for a quiet place where she can hide from the outside world and immerse herself in her thoughts. She finds this safe haven in this bar where there is no one but the bartender and a young man.
Courtesy of TIFF
While our main characters are immersed in their thoughts, they communicate only with their eyes, without saying a word to each other. It seems that all the global catastrophes of the world are happening outside, such as the fall of a meteorite.
He and She are not bothered by what is happening outside. After all, all this is an ordinary cycle of life that happens constantly. We die and are reborn and so nature reacts to all changes. There is nothing unnatural about this process.
These two get to know each other through touch and music that plays throughout the film. The importance of touch and its power is emphasized by the director of this film more than once. There is a definite message in this. In other words, a connection between two people can be created only through one touch. Through it, you can understand everything that He or She is feeling now and what they are worried about.
WHAT CONNECTS THEM?
Both of them begin to heal and be reborn through this unbreakable bond between them. Inside this bar, it seems that as if time has stopped and there is complete peace and quiet. This is sometimes broken by uninvited guests and sometimes really kindred spirits come into the bar. These guests are the prototypes of the people who surround us. Some of them have a positive impact on our lives, while others are just a random guest in our little world.
Courtesy of TIFF
Our main characters seem to be somewhere not here, but in their own little world. A world, where they are not touched by either global catastrophes or the usual problems of ordinary people. They are like the only survivors on their island of love and happiness and they watch what is happening around them through the magical window of the bar.
But their unbreakable bond is so strong because they have a very close connection with mother nature. Every time He or She touches each other or tells the story of His or Her life, the viewer is taken to the places where they are from. These are beautiful lakes and rivers, forests that amaze us with their beauty and, of course, the animals that live there. It’s so beautiful and picturesque that it’s impossible to take your eyes off the screen.
One way or another, He and She are reborn and heal their wounds next to each other. They throw off the masks that this society has imposed on them and reunite with their true roots and lands. They boldly go hand in hand into this world, where they can feel like themselves again and where there is hope for a bright future.
THE MAIN MESSAGE OF STELLAR
Naponse wants to show in her film how everything in this world is interconnected. Moreover, if this connection is broken, then the consequences will be catastrophic. She creates a separate world for the main characters in order to convey all these thoughts to the viewers. In this world they can observe from a safe distance everything that happens in the world that revolves around white people. We can say that they are witnessing an apocalypse caused by the world of white people.
Courtesy of TIFF
A lot of things in this film are very symbolic and poetic. Through this language of gestures and touches, the director tries to convey the whole atmosphere of what is happening and touch on very important topics. There are no long dialogues in this film, but they are not needed here. Everything here is clear without words and unnecessary movement.
Stellar is an appeal to one’s roots and lands and a poetic dedication to mother nature. This is poetry in its purest form, but only in motion. There is no question that this film is worth watching. It brings to light subjects that have rarely been explored on screen.
Rating: 
5/5
Polina graduated from State University of Management in 2011 with a qualification of Publicity Specialist majoring in "Advertising" and has a diploma of professional training at the Academy of Communications "Wordshop" specializing in Digital-specialist. She has completed courses in copywriting and creative writing in 2019 and continues to develop these skills every day.
Polina is always ready to learn something new and challenging and expand her talents. She is obsessed with watching TV shows and movies and loves to discuss this topic on social networks with like-minded people.
