Among Ravens

My first film review. I attended a screening because the producers and directors were doing a live Q&A in the theater. Also, I wanted to meet their daughter - the amazing Johnny Sequoyah - who I had "discovered" in the TV show "Believe," (even though she wasn't there for the show I attended). While most of the characters dealt with their own issues in the story, it took me a while to figure out their connections with each other. Johnny's character "Joey" is mesmerizing in all her scenes, and endearing in her bond with "Chad" - even when the rest of the characters turned against him. The staring contest between Joey and "Saul" (her real-life dad Russell Friedenberg) left me wondering why their bond was broken. There were a couple humorous bits, but I would have liked more to break the tension in the plot. Nonetheless, I did like the film, the cinematography, and especially Johnny. I look forward to seeing more films from this talented family. Thanks for coming back to Boise.

I was drawn to Among Ravens for the cast. I am an avid Amy Smart fan and the films she picks are always ones I like. I also always love seeing an actor's debut film, and this is Johnny Sequoyah's first! These leading ladies did not disappoint. Amy's ability to get inside her character's head and depict to the audience a genuine and relatable human experience is mesmerizing to watch. Johnny's character was absolutely my favorite part of the film. Her ability to show that a child's perspective can be the most insightful and truthful left me pondering how life can affect and warp our perspective's through the years and how important it is to be reminded of how we once viewed the world. Thanks to the gorgeous cinematography, I now know how beautiful Idaho is and will definitely be planning a trip there one day! It is refreshing to see a film that is both produced and directed by Cherokee Native Americans, to see their vision and control behind the camera instead of a stereotypical portrayal of them in front of it, is truly important.

This is a great film filled with beauty, complex relationships, and emotions. In my opinion, the striking cinematography and Idaho nature is what separated this film from others about dysfunctional families. I also think the raven motif carries the plot along well, especially as the ravens are related to the characters and their relationships with one another. Johnny Sequoyah's character, Joey, really stands out! She is incredibly strong throughout the movie, and her narration keeps the storyline tied together nicely. Chad, played by Will McCormack, is the other character I was drawn to. His unexpected friendship with Joey is endearing, especially as we notice that they are both outsiders observing the family vacation. Tons of great performances, I definitely recommend this film. It really does avoid clichés, and the ending is not at all predictable.

It was a really surprising movie. the black humor, and the way how all the masks fell down, and all of them struggled to face the truth, in front of their noses. Also Joey's point of view, watching everything from above, like a bird. Her innocence in the middle of that sick environment, and finally she found someone who understands her, but judge by the others. Like ravens, no matter like a raven does, it will always be judge.It's like a lesson's life, if we live in a constant lie, trying to pretend something, that lie will catch us sooner or later, even when we try to fool other people, acting in front of them, but our life is a huge mess, anything will save us from that, the bomb explodes and no more lies.

Everyone has some sort of relationship problem, if they are in fact in a relationship. Chad just has problems. After a while this gets tiring for me.

Another couple in the group has this peaceful, spiritual attitude I can't stand. Saturn Moon is worse than her male partner, but even she gets angry. And I enjoy it when he plays the ukulele.

In addition to the scenery, the fireworks show, and occasional comedy, the best thing for me about this movie is Joey, who occasionally narrates. Johnny Sequoyah does a great job for such a young actress, and she handles herself well among all the chaos.

Don't be fooled, though. This is far from a family film. Occasionally the sound went out when I saw it, with a character's mouth blurred. This happens frequently later on, and the words likely spoken are just garbage. When was the last time you heard the F-word used the way it was intended? I believe it is used a lot here for that purpose.

I don't know her name but the jewelry salesperson was so nice and did such a good job. But who sells a $250,000 ring in an ordinary store? Don't they sell those in fabulous places where the snooty British salesperson has his nose in the air?

I thought of something else I liked. Bikinis!

This is probably a good movie and there are some performances that are worth seeing. It just didn't do much for me.