NR | 1h 27m | Drama, Thriller | 2026
“Nika & Madison” is basically a more subdued, Canadian, First Nations, indie version of 1991’s “Thelma & Louise.” While it retains much of the fiery spirit of the Ridley Scott-directed original, it lacks the narrative dynamism, the Hollywood tinsel, and screenwriter Callie Khouri’s zealous feminism championing.
Directed by Eva Thomas of Walpole Island First Nation, the film tells the story of Nika (Ellyn Jade) and Madison (Star Slade), two young Indigenous women who’ve grown up with racism and injustice. They’re appropriate substitutes for Southern ladies Thelma and Louise, albeit rougher around the edges and significantly street-smarter than babe-in-the-woods Thelma.
While Scott’s high-profile cast delivered their tale of female empowerment as a road-trip thriller inspired by 1969’s “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “Nika & Madison” is a quiet slice-of-life, but nearly as engaging without all the flash—such as being the film that made Brad Pitt a megastar.
Culture Shock
The film opens with Madison handling a university course load in Toronto while dealing with the naively racist remarks of friends who have no idea what life for First Nations women is like.
Heading home to the Rez for the weekend, Madison quickly experiences culture shock. Her erstwhile best friend Nika acts cool and removed, and Madison is soon in a bar fight with a catty and possessive former high school classmate.
Soon, Madison’s in the back of a cop car, headed to jail. Unfortunately, the cop (David Reale) is feeling rather “amorous.” The story quickly arrives at its turning-point scene, when one friend saves the other from a parking-lot rape. It’s an act of self-defense that soon sees the two young women running from the law.
Knowing the legal system will not favor them, the two women head out to the reservation backwoods bush, to a remote and hidden trailer. When cops with K-9’s finally arrive, they flee to Toronto.
Like “Thelma & Louise,” Thomas splits the narrative between the titular outlaws (replete with titular ampersand) and law enforcement on their trail. This includes a fine performance from Amanda Brugel (in the Harvey Keitel role), who radiates compassion and attempts to help the two friends instead of merely hunting them.
A strong conflict is set up by her partner on this job, an old school cop (Shawn Doyle) whose knee-jerk reaction and main priority is to stand guard over the thin blue line, while treating the reservation authorities like second-class citizens.
Public Service Spotlight
While obviously not a feel-good story, the two young women reconnect over their shared traumatic experience, growing closer than ever before. The dilemma grants them the opportunity to show each other their respective worlds. Survival-and-primitive-skills-savvy Nika takes squeamish, girly Madison into the bush where they hunt mushrooms and fish, and Madison dresses Nika up and applies makeup for an all-nighter in the Toronto clubs, an experience Nika must admit was “epic.”
Despite the rekindled friendship, while Nika and Madison stick together, they’re always on the run, understanding that the system does not favor them. Jade and Slade draw audiences into their characters’ regrettably relevant story.
While “Nika & Madison” don’t go out in the martyr-like blaze of canyon-jumping glory that “Thelma & Louise” paid homage to the final scene of “Butch Cassidy,” the film nevertheless lands a much harder punch to the collective conscience by spotlighting one of the ways the residents of Indigenous reservations still regularly deal with abuse.
Namely, the practice is known as “Starlight Tours,” in which Canadian law enforcement kidnap, abuse, and abandon Indigenous people in remote locations. It’s infuriating that these rides-turned-assaults are so commonplace that Nika knows to check on Madison via a GPS tracker in her truck after her arrest. Similar to the film “Spotlight” (which is about the extent of abuses of the Catholic Church) we become aware, for the first time, of the extent of the problem. Bravo, Eva Thomas.
‘Nika & Madison’
Director: Eva Thomas
Starring: Star Slade, Ellyn Jade, Amanda Brugel
Not Rated
Running Time: 1 hour, 27 minutes
VOD Release Date: April 14
Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 5
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