What to know
- In the Heart of the South is a psychological horror film from Canadian writer and director Nyla Innuksuk.
- North of North stars Anna Lambe and Zorga Qaunaq reunite as two Inuk women whose childhood trauma continues to shape their lives.
- The film explores the pressure Indigenous artists can face to turn personal trauma into stories that can be commercialized.
- Lambe and Qaunaq deliver standout performances, with Qaunaq’s Sesi bringing an especially eerie and magnetic presence.
- The film premiered at TIFF on Sept. 10, with its final festival screening scheduled for Sept. 18.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This review contains spoilers for the film In the Heart of the South.
Reuniting beloved North of North stars Anna Lambe and Zorga Qaunaq, In the Heart of the South provokes an important discussion on the pressure put on Canadian Indigenous artists to speak their truth, but falls somewhat short of creating a psychological thrill.
After making her feature debut with an original take on coming-of-age Indigenous horror with Slash/Back in TIFF 2022, Canadian film writer and director Nyla Innuksuk has returned to the festival in 2026 with another thought-provoking feature.
In the Heart of the South follows protagonist Yura Ivalu (played by Anna Lambe), an Inuk artist who lives in Toronto, and has just become an artistic sensation in the city after her virtual reality piece blew up.
Through conversations with her friends, awkward interactions with presumptuous art connoisseurs, and shots of Ivalu’s seemingly perfect routine, the movie does a great job of presenting the character in what appears to be a very polished, ideal version of herself, while giving the spectator a taste of what navigating the artistic world as an Indigenous artist looks like.
That’s when Ivalu receives an opportunity to write a film for The Quiet Loud, a popular film production company that often features Indigenous stories. But contrary to its reputation, an awkward meeting with the company quickly reveals that it seems to only be interested in telling stories that can be commercialized. The team seems to pressure the artist into telling a personal, traumatic story through her movie, while also pushing her to slightly modify it in order to incorporate genre elements, with the explanation that “that’s what brings the money.”
Still fighting to maintain her voice in the Toronto artistic community, Yura accepts the proposal, drawing on a traumatic childhood experience, when she went missing alongside her friend during a storm.
One of my favourite elements of psychological horror is that feeling that something is wrong, while not being quite able to point out what that is. From this point on in the movie, I felt like it did a great job incorporating that. It felt that as soon as she accepted the offer and started working on the film, something shifted.
That’s when the viewer is introduced to Sesi (Zorga Qaunaq), the friend that went missing with Yura when she was a child. This character’s introduction was definitely very appropriate for her personality and the eerie feeling she brings along.
From the moment Sesi steps in, she seems to take over Yura’s world, winning over her closest friends, dominating her house, drawing attention to her Inuk voice and experiences, and appearing to fit right into that world while keeping her personality intact, something Yura seems to have trouble with herself.
Meanwhile, Yura’s own put-together act seems to start crumbling, as she continues to feel distanced from her world, jealous of Sesi’s magnetic appeal, and increasingly paranoid and anxious.
Sesi also seems to be able to remain authentic and bluntly point out to the awkwardness and exploitative nature of the artistic community in relation to Indigenous voices, while also building her own popularity in that world, a striking contrast to Yura who appeared to have changed her own voice to fit it.
At this point in the movie, the viewer has been told pieces and bits of their shared childhood traumatic experiences, however something appears to be missing, which creates that eerie feeling that something is wrong and we’re not being told the full story.
But the full truth only comes out at the very end, when the two characters confront each other over a physical fight. At that point, Yura seems to come to terms with her own truth, revealing that she has lied about what happened in their childhood, which in turn seems to have determined hers and Sesi’s different futures.
The main character reveals she had in fact lied to get Sesi to hide with her during a storm, which eventually led to her father leaving her alone in the North. Meanwhile, Yura’s mother was able to get a job in the South, which eventually led her to attend better schools and receive better opportunities. The revelation appears to be both a destroying and liberating experience to Yura, who is finally able to come to terms with her actions and what she’s had to cover-up or change to fit in.
One of the greatest strengths of this film is definitely the stellar performances, particularly by Lambe and Qaunaq. Playing Ivalu, Lambe is able to clearly convey that while the artist appears to have an ideal put-together look, while seeming aware of the exploitative nature of the artistic world. While she appears uncomfortable through awkward conversations and interactions in that world, while also trying to look like she belongs.
As the film moves along, Yura’s increasing anxiety seems to pulsate through the screen to the viewer, adding to that feeling that something is incredibly wrong.
However, the magnetic Sesi was definitely my favourite character. Qaunaq’s incredible performance gives life to this character that appears incredibly eerie, but is somehow also a comedic relief, with a captivating personality that seems to keep drawing characters and even the viewer towards her.
Although the film does create that eerie feeling that something is not right, the conclusion seemed to not have lived up to the buildup. Some scenes presented supernatural elements, but these appear to remain unexplained by the end. The relationship between the two main characters also appears to be complex but often unexplored to its fullest, with a lack of context on what this relationship looked like prior to the protagonist’s move and success.
That being said, its original plot, truly stellar acting moments, and incredible discussions on the mainstream portrayal of Indigenous voices make this an incredible TIFF watch.
In the Heart of the South premiered on TIFF on Sept. 10, with its last festival screening taking place on Sept. 18.
