Customer Reviews

Where the Spirit Lives [VHS]

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Many people would be shocked to know that Native American children were abducted and sent to Christian boarding schools as late as the Great Depression. Komi is one such child, forced to abandon her language and beliefs and adhere to Catholicism. She even has to go by a new name: Amelia. Although it's set in Canada, similar things happened in the U.S. As a high school English teacher, I find this film a great tool to teach kids about tolerance and the consequences it can have on individuals. I highly recommend this movie to teachers, students, and anyone who is interested in learning about a forgotten piece of our country's history.

I just finished watching this movie on Link TV, and I have to say it may well be the best Native American movie I have ever seen! It brings out the things that really happened in boarding schools such as "killing the Indian" inside the kids. Even the kids at the school thought that it was a bad thing to be a "bush Indian" because that is what they had been beaten into believing. During the parts where they were talking in their native language, they actually talked in their native tongue which I thought was pretty cool; even though I couldn't understand the words, the jist of what they were saying was easy to understand. Recommended for everyone!

This is a most excellent film! I took a course in Native American Representation in media. This was by far the best of all. It is deeply moving and gives an excellent portrayal of what these schools were like for the children. I would highly recommend this film!

this is a movie about residential schools in early north america. residential schools are essentially schools set up by christian churches in early north america with the sole purpose of purging native americans of their language/ heritage/ pride/ what have you. children were taken from their families and forced to attend these schools wherein they were forced to conform to the european's will. many children were severely abused and sadly the last residential school was closed down only 20 or 30 years ago, so this is by no means an issue from the distant past.

i first saw this movie in late elementary school early highschool (on my own time) and it really opened my eyes. up until that point i'd enjoyed a much happier view of native american people, relying more on fiction than anything else. and while fiction is based on fact and there are some very good aboriginal fiction books out there, the one's i was read were set in the past so more than anything i was reading a glorification (though they are a pretty great culture you must admit). and in school we don't learn too too much about this aspect of history (history as told by the conquerors i suppose) just that nunavut was created as a territory solely for the use of the aboriginal people, which is nice, but in elementary school they don't tell you why that step was necessary, or not in much detail anyways.

the heroine of this film was very strong and resilient and she didn't loose her culture to the one being forced upon her in the residential school. overall this was very well done.

I first caught this movie on late late night TV, being unable to sleep. I was sitting up intently viewing after awhile as this story is SO captivating, and shocking. The acting could not be better and the portrayal of Native American ritual that the kids in the school either talk about or perform, on the sly, is very touching. It is both a captivating way to learn of Native culture and most certainly an indictment on the white culture trying to subvert it, and treating the Native Americans as inferior and uncivilized.

I looked this film up, got a copy, and have used it numerous times in teaching history to high school age students. I have worked with some difficult and struggling students who don't always care for history, and they loved this film. They were so involved in what was happening. It sparked a lot of emotion charged discussion about Native Americans, white culture, the role of government (as these were government run or controlled schools in the movie), as well as the purpose and role of schools in general.

This is one of my favorite films of all time, and I cannot recommend it highly enough!