Powwow Highway

The opening shot of Reservation poverty cuts right to the problem of a land that should belong to a race of people here before any of us. Its depressing and funny as anything to watch, overall, an independent masterpeice. Anyone researching native Americans should see this film. The question at hand, is whether to think of it as a comedy or drama.

Jimbo

This film sank into obscurity, and it shouldn't have. An understated and subtle story of personal growth along the quest--it's a standard story, but this film tells it with stark dialogue, cinematography, and characters. Gary Farmer is absolutely convincing, disappearing into his role as the gentle giant completely. A Martinez's Buddy Red Bow is fiery, up to *here* with government treatment of American Indians and closed to sentiment or tenderness. Robbie Robertson's soundtrack is almost a character itself--it's suited to the landscape very well, and its native tones seem to reinforce the spareness of the story and the reservation.

Finding a copy will be really hard, but well worth it.

Depicts the struggles of reservation-dwelling Native Americans in the North Central United States. The main character is an introspective and lovable person in a process of seeking pride and identity through traditional and mystical means of gathering power. His high school friend, who is a Vietnam War Veteran, is exerting power as a highly principled social activist, using a modern rational materialist adversarial model of progress.

There really are not that many movies out there about reservation life, at least very few that come to mind. This one is excellent, however. Not just because it is a really good movie (which it is), but because of the way it portrays the characters.

It would be much too easy to paint the Cheyenne as the good guys and the "white man" as the bad guy. This is not the case. Certainly, we feel bad for the way big business wants to strip the natives of resources... but the natives are shown as less than perfect, too. Is getting ripped off bad? Of course. But does that make it acceptable to smash a store and beat a store owner? No.

One of the great disappointments about most of the films that predate this one and revolve around anything purporting to be about "Native Americans" or "Indians," is the stereotypical nature of the characters (mostly, "noble" and "stoic"). This was one of the first and still is one of the best films that captures the humor that is intrinsic to the culture(s) of most of the Native Americans that I've ever been around. Without this film, "Smoke Signals" might never have been possible, since it broke some much needed ground, helping to end the still prevalent practice of using non-Indians to play Indians.

The great thing about this film is that, like Smoke Signals, it has themes that transcend the merely cultural. Most of the elders I know teach with humor, and this movie captures that beautifully.

It's a movie not to be missed!

This film has a lot of heart. Gary Farmer's character is one of the most likeable in recent memory. His dignity, kindness and spirituality are inspiring and endearing. Few films work so subtlely to create such an indelible, sympathetic and wholly uplifting message. Set amid the vile conditions faced by Cherokee reservation natives, the movie has much to say to all about responsibility, justice and above all, love. Can't recommend this film highly enough!