Hochelaga, Land of Souls 2017

In the wake of a fierce clash between Indigenous warriors in 1267 on the so‑called Isle of Death, the massacre’s sole survivor is named Asigny by an Iroquoian prophet. Centuries later, Baptiste Asigny [Samian] is a graduate student immersed in Mohawk history, juggling tuition struggles and scarce research grants while studying under archaeology professor Antoine Morin [Gilles Renaud]. The academic world and a lingering sense of history push him toward a larger mystery buried beneath time.

One night, a rainstorm triggers a dramatic sinkhole in the field during a game at McGill University’s Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, taking the life of a player. Morin, sensing a thread to the past, theorizes that the sinkhole could reveal evidence of Hochelaga, the site Jacques Cartier [Vincent Perez] visited in 1535. He secures an order from the Ministry of Culture and hires Baptiste to lead an archaeological dig that promises to connect the present to a distant chapter of Quebec’s history.

As the excavation unfolds over several days, the team discovers that the so‑called Isle of Death was the epicenter of a “purple fever” outbreak in 1687. Étienne Maltais [Emmanuel Schwartz], a French settler with a tangled history, is revealed to have been involved with a native woman named Akwi [Tanaya Beatty]. He promises her that, next year, he will marry her not before God, but the Great Spirit. The stark moment of truth arrives when Akwi notices sores on his body that he initially dismisses as the result of a hunting accident. Maltais falls gravely ill and ends up in hospital, where a Catholic chaplain accuses him of sin for a relationship with a “savage.” He stands his ground, uttering a defiant stand against the priest’s harsh judgment, and later dies.

Baptiste’s fieldwork leads to a startling discovery: the sinkhole sits atop a stream, revealing weapons that may have belonged to Patriote rebels during the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837. The two Patriotes had fled Loyalist forces led by Colonel Philip Thomas [Linus Roache] and, seeking refuge, found themselves on the Walker property. The widowed Sarah Walker [Siân Phillips] shelters the fugitives, but the ensuing conflict results in the Patriotes’ deaths at the hands of Loyalists. Sarah, aging and wary, tells the colonel that she doubts she will ever stand trial, a moment that underscores the personal cost of war and loyalty.

The dig culminates with a historically resonant artifact: the cross of Jacques Cartier, symbolizing his arrival in Hochelaga and the claim of the land for the Kingdom of France. Cartier’s meeting with Tennawake, the local chief, is peaceful, though Tennawake [George Wahiakeron Gilbert] foresees a broader influx of Europeans. Cartier names the land Mont Réal, foreshadowing a future that will bring more Europeans to the region. The football team eventually returns to the field, and six years after the sinkhole first opened, Morin congratulates Baptiste on the breadth and significance of his research, signaling a bridging of ancient and modern histories.