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Through the history of American mainstream cinema there has been a both surprising and disturbing lack of Native American influence. Too often, filmmakers rely on half truths, fabrications and demeaning stereotypes to portray the Native American on screen. In the "golden age" of Hollywood, actors such as Clint Eastwood and John Wayne were made into prolific, American figures, while Native Americans were made out to be savage and bloodthirsty enemies. This is a trend that has carried over from the past and into the present and is truly disappointing. Thankfully, Chris Eyre and Sherman Alexie's Smoke Signals reverses this trend and creates a heartwarming and engaging tale about two modern Native Americans and their unique struggle with personal demons, conformity and the constant, overbearing, white culture that dominates them. The film is amongst the most notable Native American productions and of the most successful. The productions is also amongst the few films to be fully written, directed and produced exclusively by Native Americans.
The Film, based on a collection of loosely related short stories written by Alexie entitled The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven, centers around Thomas Builds-the-fire and Victor Joseph. Both characters are members of the Coer D'Alene tribe and reside on the tribe's reservation in central Idaho, though the characters are marginally different. These differences both inhibit and enhance the journey they must share. When Victor, the more aggressive, athletic and conflicted of the pair, must travel to Arizona to retrieve the ashes of his estranged and deceased father, he must rely on Thomas for both unwanted support and extra money to supply funds for the trip. While on their journey, Thomas acts as narrator, both adding to scenes and fabricating stories about both his and Victor's pasts.
The film relies heavily on a specific type of humor to drive the plot. The humor is almost exclusively Native American in its dry and sarcastic tone. The humor is offset by the shocking reality of the situation faced by the two main characters. Located in Idaho, the reservation is isolated from the rest of the world. This is illustrated in the opening scene as the reservation's radio station, "K-REZ", reports on local happenings and non-existent traffic conditions. As it is seen, both characters rarely leave the reservation and it is apparent that contemporary, predominantly white American culture is almost completely foreign to them. What average American citizens see as day to day society is both strange and new.
The film, although humorous, tackles many issues faced by modern Native Americans. The issue of identity is of the most prominent. Victor is in constant conflict with who he actually is and where he has come from. He is aware that he holds a certain amount of aggression toward his father, but he does not understand this aggression until the very end, and it is at the point where he understands why his father ran away that he can accept his father's mistakes and celebrate his spirit. This is also the point where the idea of running from problems is also resolved. Running from problems is a constant in the plot. Arnold Joseph, Victor's father, is in constant guilt after being responsible for the fire that kills Thomas's parents. Although he saves Thomas from the fire he must live with the guilt until it becomes too much for him to handle. At the movie's climax, rather than running away, Victor literally runs toward the issue at hand and ends up saving the victim of a drunk driving crash. Additionally, alcoholism, a problem which faces both Native and Non Native Americans, is constantly examined. It is the reason why Arnold Joseph burns down the Builds-the-fire home and the reason why he leaves his own home. At first Victor is unwilling to accept his father's change after death. However, after coming to his father's home and seeing that his father still did care, even after leaving, he is able to come to terms with his father's struggle as both an Alcoholic and a Native person in American society. Victor leaves Arizona with a new understanding of his identity, a new found appreciation for his friend, Thomas, and the ability to face problems head on without inner struggle or violence.
The identity of the Native American is studied deeply in Smoke Signals. Alexie's unique style creates a story that is one of a kind and completely different from the average American conception of Native life. Although it is entertaining and down right hysterical in some parts, the story evokes an important messages about inner struggle, understanding the family dynamic, addiction and acquiring the ability to cope in a less than acceptable setting.
score /10
main-38 26 April 2010
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2241275/ |
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23-3-2021 18:07:22