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Is the Crown at war with us?

Name: Is the Crown at war with us?
Director: Alanis Obomsawin
Released: 2003
Duration: 96 min

Representation Score

9.1/10

Excellent

2003

Director

Alanis Obomsawin

Runtime

96 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Alanis Obomsawin’s documentary is a powerful act of decolonial cinema that reframes the 2000 fishery conflict in New Brunswick. By centering Mi'gmaq voices, the film successfully challenges Western-centric historical narratives and questions the legitimacy of state authority. The work excels in racial and cultural representation, using Indigenous testimony to expose the systemic warfare waged by the Canadian government. It effectively shifts the viewer from passive observation to critical engagement with institutional power. While the film lacks explicit LGBTQ+ representation, its focus remains firmly on sovereignty and the reclamation of Indigenous ability to act. It provides a necessary, high-impact critique of colonial hegemony.

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Category Breakdown

Does Is the Crown at war with us? have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film focuses on the legal and systemic struggles of the Mi'gmaq community. It does not explicitly center queer narratives or non-cisgender identities.

How does Is the Crown at war with us? portray gender?

Good

Indigenous women and elders are positioned as primary keepers of history and political leadership. The film highlights how colonial structures attempted to dismantle Indigenous social fabrics.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Is the Crown at war with us??

Excellent

The documentary provides exceptional representation by centering Mi'gmaq testimony. It reframes the fishery conflict through a non-Anglo-Saxon perspective to challenge standard Canadian historical narratives.

How does Is the Crown at war with us? represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The narrative offers a profound critique of the Canadian Crown and religious institutions. It frames the state's actions as systemic engines of oppression against Indigenous survival.

Does Is the Crown at war with us? include disability representation?

Fair

The film touches upon the psychological impacts and intergenerational trauma caused by the residential school system. These wounds are treated with dignity and empowerment.

Present on Screen

Exceptional centering of Indigenous testimony and lived experiences.
Powerful challenge to Western-centric historical and legal narratives.
Effective portrayal of women and elders as political leaders and historians.

Limited or Absent

Lack of explicit representation regarding LGBTQ+ or queer identities.
Limited focus on disability beyond the context of intergenerational trauma.

Official Synopsis

In the summer of 2000, federal fishery officers appeared to wage war on the Mi'gmaq fishermen of Burnt Church, New Brunswick. Why would officials of the Canadian government attack citizens for exercising rights that had been affirmed by the highest court in the land? Alanis Obomsawin casts her nets into history to provide a context for the events on Miramichi Bay.

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