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Overall Rating
  Awesome: 74.14%
Worth A Look: 13.79%
Average: 1.72%
Pretty Bad: 3.45%
Total Crap: 6.9%
3 reviews, 40 user ratings
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| Smoke Signals |
by Brian McKay
"Strong signals"
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This feature debut of Native American director Chris Eyre is a powerful coming-of-age tale that earned distinction for being one of the few films about contemporary Native Americans actually made by Native Americans for Native Americans. Thankfully, even a paleface like me can come along for and enjoy the ride (and living in the foggy climes of San Francisco has rendered more than my face pale, of late).Victor Joseph (Adam Beach) is a young man who has grown up on the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation. A good looking guy who is proud of his long hair and basketball skills, he struggles with the inner demon of being brought up by alcoholic parents and later abandoned by his father, Arnold Joseph (Gary Farmer), leaving Victor's now-late mother, Arlene (Tantoo Cardinal), with the task of rearing him.
His friend, Thomas Builds-a-Fire (Evan Adams) is the local reservation geek. With his skinny frame and large glasses, he looks like the kind of guy who was in the high school marching band and played Dungeons and Dragons on Saturday nights. The longsuffering Victor tries to teach Thomas how to “act more like a real Indian” and not be such a geek, but to little avail.
When Victor receives word that his father is dead, he must take a long bus journey to claim Arnold’s ashes. Thomas accompanies him on his journey, and although he serves as the comedic sidekick and general source of annoyance, Thomas’s geekness belies a quiet and profound introspection. In many ways, Thomas is a spiritual touchstone for the conflicted Victor.
When they arrive at the place of Arnold’s death, they make the acquaintence of Susie Song (the absolutely mesmerizing Irene Bedard), a young woman who became friends with Arnold before he died. Through her, Victor begins to learn about the man his father had become, and a side of man he never knew.
Smoke Signals is a powerful film with engrossing themes of the strength of family ties and the deeply spiritual nature of a fascinating but troubled people. Expect fantastic performances from the three leads - especially Adam Beach (Windtalkers), who has been enjoyable to watch in many projects since this film, but who has yet to reproduce the caliber of performance he gives here. And did I mention the beautiful Irene Bedard? Her portrayal of Susie provides a comely and vital conduit through which Victor can reconcile with his father’s memory. Adams, Farmer, and Cardinal are also wonderful, and Tom Skerritt pops in as a skeptical but ultimately sympathetic Sheriff.We can thank SMOKE SIGNALS for many things, including a welcome bolster to Beach’s career, as well as firmly cementing Eyre in the league of talented independent directors on the rise - although I haven’t seen nearly enough of Bedard since this film (but really, how could one ever see “enough” of her?). Make it a point to not miss these signals
link directly to this review at http://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=170&reviewer=258
originally posted: 05/24/03 07:14:08
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USA
16-Jan-1998 (PG-13)
DVD: 01-Mar-2005
UK
N/A
Australia
N/A
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