American Indian performers have never received many decent chances at starring in compelling roles or headlining Hollywood produced films. Mainly relegated to playing the dangerous savage in scores of "Cowboy and Indian" films throughout the decades, some decent supporting roles have occasionally arisen in more recent years.
The films in which they appeared, however, were still headlined by "white" stars such as Kevin Costner in "Dances With Wolves," Dustin Hoffman in "Little Big Man," and more recently, Val Kilmer in "Thunderheart."
Thus, it's nice to see a film made by, and headlined by a predominantly Native American cast and crew. As directed by Chris Eyre and written by Sherman Alexie (both American Indians), however, this is as much a tale about father/son relationships as it is about growing up as an American Indian on a reservation.
What's most refreshing to see, though, is the even-keeled presentation that Eyre has delivered. While it's not all that surprising to note the absence of the typical reservation stereotypes found in many movies -- the poor, drunken and often gambling addicted Indians, etc... -- Eyre has smartly avoided the self-righteous, "now it's our turn" comeuppance approach.
Although the main character is often indignant in his attitudes how he thinks others feel about him and American Indians overall, that's perfectly balanced by the rest of the cast and their more open- minded and accepting beliefs.
In addition, Eyre isn't above poking some fun at life on the reservation. For instance, its small, low wattage radio station has a field reporter who delivers the daily local traffic report from a near chronically empty intersection ("A car just passed by...") as well as the current weather conditions (commenting on what sort of animal the lone cloud in the sky most closely resembles).
It's the film's storytelling attributes, however, that really make the picture stand out. First time director Eyre demonstrates a well-taught, and possibly inherent grasp of the cinema and delivers many compelling and innovative shooting techniques. Most impressive are the scenes where characters from the past and present transitionally crisscross in the same setting, such as when Victor as a boy goes to exit through a door, and comes out as his adult self on the other side. Not only is it an interesting cinematic technique, but such effects also neatly tie together the main character's past to his present.
Likewise, the scenes where Thomas tells his many stories -- both of fact and fiction -- are nicely done. Holding onto the long established tradition of storytelling, Thomas' stories -- as vividly told as they are -- don't always mesmerize the moviegoer as much as they do for whatever small audience of fictitious characters he can gather in any scene, but they're pleasantly told and often quite funny.
It's actor Evan Adams as that goofy-looking storyteller, however, who completely steals the show. While the story may be about Victor and his familial problems, the Thomas character is a complete delight to watch. Speaking in some sort of odd accent that constantly reminded me of an Irish American Indian -- a feature that actually makes the character even that much more endearing -- Adams creates a completely likeable and thoroughly entertaining creation. For instance, when Thomas is told in one scene that he and his friend are heroes like the Lone Ranger and Tonto, he casually replies, "No, we're more like Tonto and Tonto."
Adam Beach ("Squanto: A Warrior's Tale") is also good in his performance as the angry and troubled young man, although he's completely overshadowed by Adams and his character. Much of that's due to the obvious fact that audiences like charming and happy characters better than bitter and scowling ones, but Beach still manages to create a character who earns our sympathy as the story progresses.
The rest of the performances are good, ranging from Gary Farmer as Victor's troubled, but distantly loving father, to Tantoo Cardinal ("Dances With Wolves") playing his concerned mother and Irene Bedard (voice of the title character in "Pocahontas") as the woman who finally educates Victor about his father, the past, and the long hidden truths concerning both.
Although Eyre occasionally shows signs of this being his first feature length production, such as when the plot and its pacing get knocked off track toward the end of the film, for the most part it's an impressive debut. Featuring some decent direction, plenty of humor and some truly touching moments, this should be a major calling card for this talented young director and hopefully his cast and crew as well. We give "Smoke Signals" a 7 out of 10.
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