 | Poignant |
I love little films. And Smoke Signals is a tender little film that was easy for me to love.
Despite his bitter resentment, 20-year-old Victor Joseph (Adam Beach) feels obligated to take his first trip away from northern Idaho's Coeur d'Alene Restervation to retrieve the ashes of his long absent father, Arnold, who died in Arizona.
Though Victor and his mother Arlene (Tantoo Cardinal) have no money, his nerdy childhood friend and budding tribal storyteller Thomas Builds-the-Fire (Evan Adams) offers his savings to Victor for the bus trip to Arizona if Thomas can tag along. After all, Victor's father (Gary Farmer) had rescued baby Thomas from the home where Thomas' parents perished and Thomas felt Victor needed a companion for this emotionally difficult journey.
In the process, Victor learns much about himself and also about the complexities of his father and what drove Arnold to abandon his family long ago.
This little film, directed by Chris Eyre, was developed under the auspices of Robert Redford's Sundance Institute and was written, directed and co-produced by Native Americans.
I enjoyed seeing the traditions of the culture, the patterns and rhythm of speech, and the frequent drumming and vocalizations of Native America. The film is also imbuded with rich humor.
Rated PG-13 for some intense images.
viewed Jun-06
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