Queen Of The Andes is the debut film written and directed by Jillian Acreman. The film was released in 2020 and has garnered an impressive amount of recognition, including the Best Canadian First Feature Award at the 2021 Victoria Film Festival.
The film follows protagonist Pillar during her final days on Earth after being selected as part of the first colony mission to Mars. Pillar is a brilliant botany expert on the verge of publishing an important breakthrough. This is hinted as a probable reason for her being chosen. Pillar is surrounded by a closely-knit group of friends, her sister, her father, and her partner Arrow. Arrow is part of a resistance movement that stands in direct opposition to the Mars mission. The audience soon learns that Pillar’s fate is a far cry from our romantic tales of pioneering space exploration.
From the opening scene, Queen Of The Andes shines with the spirit of classic cinema. The staging for interior spaces is grounded yet beautiful. Camera work is fluid, creative, and immensely supportive of the narrative. The cinematography in general is quite striking, with a warm granular texture and a broad but slightly muted palette. Special note should be made of the clean and snappy editing by Matthew Carr. It really helps keep the audience on track through an unconventional story. The scoring is sparse but thick with tension and drama. Overall, Queen Of The Andes looks and sounds great.
Pillar is expertly portrayed by Bhreagh MacNeil. The protagonist character is defined by her stoicism and reluctance to open up, even when in clear need of support. This means that Pillar’s true emotional state is often reflected in reactions and subtleties, and MacNeil’s performance effortlessly walks you through the turmoil. She also makes the most of Acreman’s natural dialog and direction, resulting in a performance that truly jumps off the screen. Seeing Pillar smoke clumsily for a handful of frames after admitting she hasn’t done so in years was one of my favourite details.
Doug Sutherland plays Pillar’s father and leverages his time on camera to deliver a memorable and robust characterization.
Queen Of The Andes is a clever film. We accompany Pillar most of the time, as she resists destiny while internally preparing to face its arrival. The view is often narrow, as if we’re looking at this world through a pinhole. This intimate focus becomes very effective at masking the setting, which kinda feels like the Maritimes but also anywhere, Canada. We are also looking at the spectacular enterprise of space colonization, but through the eyes of the people on the ground. Some of whom prefer to stay where they are. We know there’s some kind of dystopia out there, but we only see it reflected in how it colours the lives of the characters. Like in the best science fiction. A few scenes and an excellent costume receive special attention to brilliantly sell you on the universe. The choice of Prince Edward Island as a location is particularly inspired.
Pillar’s story makes timely commentary on authoritarianism and the excesses of our hunger for resources. It touches on technology, how it’s presented, and how we consume it. But Queen Of The Andes is mostly about communication. Almost every conflict in the film results from the main character’s reluctance to either listen or reach out. And she ultimately agonizes over something that may not even have been a problem to begin with. The consequences are Twilight-Zone-brutal. I love the writing in this movie.
I had the opportunity to watch Queen Of The Andes on the big screen during the Silver Wave Film Festival, and I really hope that this experience will be available again for those of you who connect with this article. It was a great time, although kind of hard to put down in words.
Queen of the Andes | IMDB