This Rite of the Shaman movie review covers a small, heartfelt indie drama about grief, bullying, and the wisdom a shaman grandfather leaves behind — not a polished production, but a genuine one.
Rite of the Shaman (2022) follows Kai, a mute high school student caring for his mother while carrying the memory of his late shaman grandfather. Struggling with depression and a school bully, Kai has to decide whether to sink further into isolation or embrace the wisdom his grandfather left him — becoming, as the film puts it, “the beacon of light he was meant to be.”
Rite of the Shaman Movie Review: What It’s About
Directed and co-written by Alicia Oberle Farmer, the film runs just over an hour (68 minutes) and stars Tyrell Oberle as Kai, alongside Janice Spencer-Wise, Kim Stone, and a small ensemble cast. It’s a Gravitas Ventures release, produced on an independent, family-driven scale rather than a studio budget.
An Honest Take
We’re featuring this one with an honest caveat: it’s not a critically acclaimed film. IMDb rates it 4.1/10, and the one professional review we found described the writing as heavy-handed and the acting as uneven. What earns it a spot here is the sincerity of its message — a grandfather’s shamanic wisdom as the thing that ultimately saves his grandson — and a real story behind the lead performance.
Tyrell Oberle, who plays Kai, survived an aggressive bone cancer (Ewing’s sarcoma) as a teenager. During treatment, he found comfort in nature and energy work, and later founded a jewelry company built around healing stones. That lived experience gives the film’s central message — that connection to nature and ancestral wisdom can carry someone through real darkness — a weight the polish of the production doesn’t quite match.
Should You Watch It?
Watch it if you want a short, gentle, message-driven drama about grief and legacy rather than a technically ambitious film — think of it as a well-meaning student-film-adjacent project with a sincere heart, not an awards contender. Skip it if you’re looking for a nuanced or cinematically rigorous portrayal of shamanic practice.
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