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CALIFORNIA SOCIOLOGY FORUM VOL. 7 

Film Review: Blood Quantum by Jeff Barnaby 
Jalene Garcia-Santamarina 

Department of Sociology 
California State University, Los Angeles 

 
Jeff Barnaby’s film titled Blood Quantum (2019) entices the 
viewer to explore sociological dimensions of race, ethnicity, 
power dynamics, colonialism, and oppression. Along with an 
academic perspective, the addition of zombies, gore, and character 
regression/growth creates a thrilling journey to watch and enjoy. 
The film takes place on the fictional Red Crow reserve of isolated 
Mi’kmaq in Canada. Traylor is a policeman on the reservation and 
begins to encounter animals that should be dead but come back to 
life. The first human encounter he experiences is when he must 
bail his son, Joseph, and his estranged son, Lysol, from a police 
station off the reservation. A man sharing the cell with them 
suddenly attacks and they have to subdue him, but he doesn’t back 
down due to being a zombie. Soon after, things begin to get more 
intense on and off the reservation for those who are not 
Indigenous. The film then jumps six months later to where the 
journey fully begins, and it is explained that the Indigenous 
individuals are immune to the virus while white people are not. 
 
MODES OF IDENTIFICATION  
Presently, society relies highly on self-identification of race and 
ethnicity. If an individual seeks assistance from a social service 
institution, they could receive help by simply self-identifying. 
Native American tribes that are federally recognized have 
requirements such as the past, and some present, utilization of 
blood quantum. Blood quantum was a form of identification white 
settlers imposed on Indigenous populations in the 18th century to 
limit rights and land access. Through this form of identification 
white settlers were able to create boundaries for this population to 
limit every form of capital they had prior to settler arrival and for 
the future. Blood quantum is archaic and has ties to scientific 
racism (Snipp 2010) but in the film, it is exactly what determines 
someone’s chances of living or being turned into a zombie. Due 
to Native blood being a key aspect of survival, a sense of 
superiority was boiling amongst some members of the tribe which 



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CALIFORNIA SOCIOLOGY FORUM VOL. 7 

created a silent but deadly divide. This is noticeable when Joseph's 
pregnant girlfriend Charlie began bringing white survivors to the 
reservation. To Lysol and James (female native), Charlie bringing 
her people (white survivors) was a burden and pointless. Just as 
self-identification can lead to some individuals receiving services 
meant for specific ethnic minorities, some survivors lied about 
being bitten to receive shelter and protection which ultimately 
pushed Lysol over the edge. 
  
GROUP POSITION THEORY  
Blumer’s (1958) theory of group position can be seen in four basic 
feelings: “. . . (1) a feeling of superiority, (2) a feeling that the 
subordinate race is intrinsically different and alien, (3) a feeling of 
proprietary claim to certain areas of privilege and advantage, and 
(4) a fear and suspicion that the subordinate race harbors designs 
on the prerogatives of the dominant race” (1958:4). This was seen 
throughout U.S history and present day. In Blood Quantum, the 
Indigenous populations group position changes due to their 
immunity. Racial boundaries are evident when it comes to Charlie 
due to her being pregnant with Joseph's child. Racial boundaries 
are social constructs that racial groups or others outside of the 
racial group create to form distinct lines between groups and 
individuals. Since society is constantly changing, racial 
boundaries are no different. Each racial and ethnic group has 
boundaries that can either include or exclude others, especially if 
they are multiracial. Types of racial boundaries include physical 
appearance and culture. If someone does not act the stereotypical 
way outsiders may not view them in the way they self-identify. 
This can work the other way around; the group may see an 
individual as not like them due to their lack of connection to their 
culture or physical appearance. This is not something new or 
random but has been a part of society as it was being built, 
colonized, and destroyed in a constant cycle. This was evident 
during the colonization of California, “. . . Indians resided at the 
very lowest levels of hierarchy of humankind. Not only were 
California Indians filthy, ugly, dark, and animal-like, but they 
were also ‘uncivilized’ in their mode of economic livelihood” 
(Almaguer2009:114). Native tribes were seen as uncivilized and 
heathens because their lifestyles didn’t consist of needing more 



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than necessary and maintained different beliefs than their white 
counterparts.  
 This film explored a multitude of social processes that 
could be explored through many sociological perspectives. 
History tends to repeat itself, but the group positions can be 
switched in the process. Some lingering questions remain, such as 
how would things have been different if Traylor utilized exclusion 
of white survivors completely from their haven and would things 
have turned out differently if Lysol had been in charge. 
Writer/director Barnaby brought forth issues that echo from the 
past and are still relevant today. The way he artistically portrayed 
the consequences of the zombie virus shows a resemblance of the 
way the Europeans treated Indigenous populations when 
colonizing. This film makes your mind think about our history 
from a different perspective and connects it to current issues we 
face in society today. Colonialism took a toll on a whole 
population by trying to strip them of their power, language, 
resources, culture, and so much more. This film may not be for 
some viewers but is a film full of social phenomena worth taking 
a chance on. 
 

REFERENCES 
Almaguer, Tomás. 2009. Racial Fault Lines. University of California Press. 
Barnaby, Jeff. 2019. Blood Quantum. Toronto: Elevation Pictures. 
Blumer, Herbert. 1958. “Race Prejudice as a Sense of Group Position.” 

Pacific Sociological Review 1(1):3–7. 
Snipp, C. Matthew. 1997. “Some Observations about Racial Boundaries and 

the Experiences of American Indians.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 
20(4):667–89. 

  
 


	Film Review: Blood Quantum by Jeff Barnaby - Jalene Garcia-Santamarina



