In My Blood It Runs
2019
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Diversity score: 7.0 out of 10
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Belief: The Possession of Janet Moses
2015
Director
David Stubbs
Runtime
89 minutes
Average Rating
No ratings yetSynopsis
This impressive doco disperses the fog of shame and sensationalism to shed light on the tragedy that made international headlines in 2007 when a young Wainuiomata woman died during a mākutu lifting.
Where to Watch
Diversity & Representation
Overall Score
6.7/10
Good
Category Breakdown
LGBTQ+ Representation
The film contains no evidence of LGBTQ+ characters or themes. The score represents a neutral baseline for this specific cultural documentary.
Gender Representation
The narrative centers on the lived experience of Janet Moses. It avoids simplified gender tropes by focusing on the psychological and communal complexities surrounding her situation.
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
The film provides significant agency to Māori perspectives and cultural frameworks. It challenges Anglo-centric lenses by prioritizing indigenous ontology over Western sensationalism.
Religious & Cultural Diversity
The film presents high cultural complexity by exploring the tension between traditional spiritualism and secular institutions. It frames the tragedy through a lens of cultural collision.
Disability Representation
The film approaches the concept of possession through a spiritual lens rather than a medicalized one. This avoids treating the experience as a purely clinical phenomenon.
Strengths
- Prioritizes Māori perspectives and indigenous ontology over Western sensationalism.
- Avoids medicalizing spiritual experiences, treating them as profound cultural events.
- Explores the complex tension between traditional belief systems and modern legal frameworks.
Areas for Improvement
- Lacks representation or engagement with LGBTQ+ themes and characters.
- The focus on a specific cultural tragedy limits broader demographic diversity.
AI Analysis
Belief: The Possession of Janet Moses is a sophisticated piece of cultural inquiry. It moves beyond the sensationalism often found in true-crime documentaries to examine the friction between indigenous spiritualism and Western institutional structures. The film succeeds by centering Māori perspectives and the specific cultural context of Wainuiomata. By treating traditional practices as a complex socio-cultural reality rather than mere superstition, it disrupts conventional Western documentary tropes. While the film lacks LGBTQ+ representation, its strength lies in its refusal to use a 'civilizing' narrative. It instead explores the tragic intersection of indigenous autonomy and state-mandated safety.
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