Review of Smoke Signals (1998) by Miles H — 06 Feb 2008
Hey Victor! They made us watch this movie in seventh grade and I wish they hadn't done so. Not only were we all too immature and rambunctious to pay attention to the material, but we interpreted it the wrong way.
Five years later, this is a great film, and a very important one in the growth and progession of Native Americans in cinema. There are many familiar actors here, from Irene Bedard to Tantoo Cardinal to the great Gary Farmer.
Only this time, they're not playing European-fashioned stereotypes. This is a character driven movie and the cast brings the people of Sherman Alexie's fantastic short stories to life with grace, compassion, and often, a wicked sense of humor.
Chris Eyre never forsakes these characters for cheap laughs or emotional stimuli. Here's a rare instance of a director whose investment in communicating the story and themes present is so strong and passionate, he doesn't really give a fuck if mainstream audiences won't go for it.
Thus, what we get is an honest movie, and one that will resonate deeper than any piece of Hollywood familial exploitation. I hope to see more from Eyre. "Skins" was great as well, but unfortunately, nearly nobody saw it; Hopefully he'll have another day in the sun.
He certainly deserves it more than the likes of Jason Reitman or I daresay even Wes Anderson.
This review of Smoke Signals (1998) was written by Miles H on 06 Feb 2008.
Smoke Signals has generally received positive reviews.
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