The first footage from "Rose," Roxann Whitebean's quietly devastating short drama about an Indigenous teenager fighting to keep her child, has arrived exclusively via Hollywood Buzz News, offering a glimpse of Sandra Hüller's latest collaboration with a first-time director whose voice has been steadily building on the festival circuit.
The 25-minute film, which premiered in 2022, centers on sixteen-year-old Rose, played by Passion Diabo, a pregnant Indigenous teen removed from her community and installed in a church to be monitored through the final months of her pregnancy. By order of an Indian Agent named Mr. Byrne - portrayed by Mark Kupra - the child will be seized at birth and placed with a Canadian family. Rose carries a secret she refuses to share with anyone, including her own relatives: the identity of the baby's father. That silence eventually gives way to the truth that Michael, a young Mohawk man, is the father and intends to keep the child within the community.
The trailer's release arrives as Hüller, riding a remarkable stretch of acclaim for her work in "Anatomy of a Fall" and "The Zone of Interest," continues to attach herself to projects that operate far from the mainstream. Her role in "Rose" marks a notable pivot toward a smaller, intensely regional story told by an Indigenous filmmaker working in English.
A Story Rooted in a Painful Chapter
The premise of "Rose" draws on a history that many Canadian-set dramas have only recently begun to confront directly: the practice of removing Indigenous children from their families and communities. Whitebean stages the conflict through the claustrophobic confines of the church where Rose is held, with Sister Clarice, played by Teresa Picciano, standing as the institutional counterweight to Rose's interior defiance. Masha Peter appears as Unna, a presence that grounds the protagonist in the world she has been taken from.
What gives the film its tension is not the question of who the father is - the audience learns that soon enough - but whether Rose's silence can hold long enough to change the outcome. Michael's uncle, played by Eric "Dirt" McComber, forms part of the extended network that wants the child to remain in the community, setting up a standoff between two competing claims on a life not yet born.
A Director's Perspective
Whitebean has spoken about the responsibility of telling this story with the specificity it demands, working in a shorter format that forces every scene to carry weight. Twenty-five minutes is an unusual length for a drama with this much narrative ground to cover, but the compression suits a story built on quiet endurance rather than sprawling incident. Hüller's participation lends the project an international profile it might not otherwise have received, though the film remains anchored in the Mohawk and Indigenous experience at its center.
The Cast
Passion Diabo leads as Rose, carrying nearly every beat of the film on her shoulders. Kupra's Mr. Byrne is the face of the decree that hangs over her. McComber, Masha Peter and Teresa Picciano round out a cast that includes community members in supporting and background roles, a choice that reinforces the film's commitment to authenticity. The ensemble also features Merrick Diabo, Sayde Lazore and Wendy Mayo.
Where It Stands
"Rose" arrives with no aggregate rating to speak of - its TMDb score sits at zero, reflecting a lack of user votes rather than any judgment on its quality - and a 2022 release date that places it outside the current awards conversation. Its fresh trailer, however, positions it as a discovery worth seeking out.
For Hüller, the film represents something smaller and more intimate than the roles that made her a household name in art-house circles. For Whitebean, it is a calling card. And for audiences encountering Rose for the first time in this footage, it is a reminder that some of the most urgent storytelling happens far from the multiplex.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
