Headdress deeply into the mind of Tai, a Queer Native Person who is enjoying a music festival with his friends. However, when a Non-Native woman appears wearing a ceremonial headdress, Tai knows that he must respond. With only seconds to spare, Tai steps into the recesses of his mind to figure out the proper way to address the situation before it’s too late.
Written, directed by and starring Taietsaron:sere ‘Tai’ Leclaire, Headdress is a hilarious but poignant look at ways that we cultural appropriation can hurt those around us. Sharply written and executed, Headdressemphasizes its humour but never loses sight of its primary truth. This is a film that embraces the silliness of his own mental banter but still highlights the challenges of speaking up against cultural insensitivity. Although she never says a word to Tai or his friends, the woman in the headdress has already communicated a great deal. With the clock ticking away, the various levels of Tai work tirelessly to process out their response. Tai wants to handle this situation well, but still communicate his truth. There are many sides to Tai, each with their own views about how to engage. However, although the Tais may disagree about how to express themselves, they have one commonality.
This situation must be addressed. Now.
For the Tai’s, this woman’s choice of headwear symbolizes far more cultural appropriation. This is about colonization and a completely lack of racial sensitivity. However, how to address it remains the issue. Should they lean into their anger and take a more aggressive approach? Let his anxiety take over, rationalize her motives and let it slide? Whatever the method, the Tai’s all recognize their discomfort and anger about a woman wearing what’s so deeply personal to them. Nevertheless, Headdress recognizes the power of speaking up and seeks to empower the viewer to do the same.
Headdress is playing at ImagineNATIVE ’23. For more information, click here.
