qathet film society presents
3 Ears Indigenous Film Festival
Nika & Madison
Nika & Madison
Tuesday September 29 – 7pm
Directed by: Eva Thomas
Starring: Ellyn Jade, Star Slade, Shawn Doyle
Genre: Crime / Drama / Thriller
14A – 1hr 27min
Released: 2025
Nika & Madison is backed by a stellar, mostly Indigenous cast, and directed by Eva Thomas, a filmmaker from Walpole Island First Nation. After Madison (Star Slade), a young Indigenous woman, gets in a bar fight, she’s arrested and whisked away in a cop car. Her cousin Nika (Ellyn Jade) is able to track her location, and senses something isn’t right. She discovers that the cop, as sometimes happens in Canada, is trying to sexually assault the young woman in his custody. Nika reacts instinctually, and quickly she and Madison are on the run from the law. While police brutality and systemic racism faced by First Nations people are present, they are not the central theme of Nika & Madison. Ultimately, the story explores the bonds of female friendship and the sacrifices loved ones make for the sake of protection, regardless of the consequences.
Nika & Madison’s success hinges on the casting of its two leads as well as its supporting characters. Jade and Slade bring the titular characters to life. They are fully developed characters that transcend their surface-level opposition. The story hinges on emotional and intense moments, which both actors nail with grace and believability. An emotional reveal comes near the end of the film that feels neither forced nor contrived. It’s a testament to its leads. Slade, in particular, has true star quality that makes her a compelling screen presence.
Gail Maurice, Billy Merasty, and Jennifer Podemski comprise a compelling supporting cast, each playing small yet pivotal roles. Thomas’ film excels in its portrayal of “strong female characters” who feel authentically integrated rather than tokenistic. These are women in positions of power, exemplified by Maurice’s Chief Sampson, a central decision-maker whose counsel is sought by all when it comes to dealing with outsider cops.
Brugel’s portrayal of Detective Timmins is a refreshing take on a familiar role. Her unwavering resolve to uncover the truth is particularly striking, especially given her outsider status in a professional landscape typically controlled by powerful white men. It’s a welcome departure from the typical on-screen representation of a detective searching for women on the run, which is overwhelmingly male.
Nika & Madison is a story of friendship, resilience, and resistance against a system that has a history of failing them and their community. The film is, in a word, unsubtle. This is a film that wears its message on its sleeve for all to see. First, as the women flee, it deals with not only the terror of being hunted by the police but also the plight of the two women –estranged by their circumstances– reconnecting with both each other and the culture writ large. On the other side, the journey of the detectives–in particular of Warhurst, the white male cop with racist preconceptions of First Nations people–follows a predictable arc towards doing some semblance of the right thing. While this film is fiction, it is also based in the stories of countless women like Nika and Madison and it gives them a face and voice that we can relate to. It is blunt for sure, but that is the point. Director Eva Thomas ensures that there’s no misinterpreting the narrative here, and while it does end on a slightly ambiguous note, it’s up to you to decide whether it is hopeful or not.