Finding balance and inner peace while embarking on their spiritual paths and forming lasting, meaningful connections is one of life’s most important journeys. That’s certainly the case for the young protagonist, high school student Kai, in the multi award-winning family film, ‘Rite of the Shaman.’ The drama celebrates Kai’s journey of evolving from being a sullen, bullied teenager to fully accepting his role as the titular shaman to his family.
The movie was released on VOD earlier this week, courtesy of Gravitas Ventures. ‘Rite of the Shaman’s digital distribution comes after it was released in theaters on May 27, and won numerous accolades at domestic and international film festivals
In honor of the drama’s VOD distribution, ShockYa is premiering an exclusive clip from the feature, which is titled ‘Remember.’ In the clip, Kai’s mom, who is secretly battling cancer, makes sure he knows how much he means to her.
‘Rite of the Shaman’ was directed and produced by Alicia Oberle Farmer. She also co-wrote the script with Janice Spencer-Wise. The duo based the screenplay on Farmer’s son, Tyrell Oberle, who survived a rare cancer called Ewing’s Sarcoma when he was in high school.
Tyrell made his feature film acting debut in ‘Rite of the Shaman.’ He used the real emotions that he felt while going through a year of cancer treatments as a teenager to hone in the depression, anger and uncertainty that Kai’s feeling in the story. Besides Tyrell, the movie also stars Janice Spencer-Wise, Lauren Holdt, Kim Stone, Ethan Bracken, James H. Martin, James Morris and Timothy Peacock.
‘Rite of the Shaman’ follows Kai, a mute high school student who’s taking care of his mother. He finds solace in nature, as well as memories of his late shaman grandfather. While trying to cope with the pressures of life at home and intimidation from a bully at school, Kai becomes depressed and begins pushing his loved ones away. He’s ultimately faced with a decision. Will he continue down a dark path of negativity? Or, with his grandfather’s wisdom as his guide, will Kai embrace his destiny and become the beacon of light that he was meant to be?
Farmer has released the following statement about ‘Rite of the Shaman’:
“I was inspired by my son Tyrell Oberle, who beat a rare cancer called Ewing’s Sarcoma when he was in high school. Tyrell plays the lead Kai. In different cultures, shaman are figures who become enlightened and learn to heal after being close to death. Kai is a teenager who must confront his shadow self in order to find his full healing potential. He is an everyday hero, and we wanted to show that even if the darkest of times, there is hope through showing kindness to others. Even the smallest acts of kindness can make a difference in people’s lives.
He had some sacred experiences during his fight, he’s into nature, practices healing through kindness, and is incredibly stoic. Those attributes, as much as anything, were how he overcame cancer.
Tyrell had no acting experience before taking on this role. But thanks to his experience, he brought an unbelievable honesty and authenticity to his performance.
For more information on ‘Rite of the Shaman,’ visit its official website, as well as its
Facebook and Instagram pages.
ShockYa is premiering an exclusive clip from co-writer-producer-director Alicia Oberle Farmer's drama, 'Rite of the Shaman,' which is titled 'Remember,' and features actor Tyrell Oberle.