Synopsis
Young Native American man Thomas is a nerd in his reservation, wearing oversize glasses and telling everyone stories no-one wants to hear. His parents died in a fire in 1976, and Thomas was saved by Arnold. Arnold soon left his family, and Victor hasn't seen his father for 10 years. When Victor hears Arnold has died, Thomas offers him funding for the trip to get Arnold's remains.
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Cast
- Adam BeachVictor Joseph
- Evan AdamsThomas Builds-the-Fire
- Irene BedardSuzy Song
- Gary FarmerArnold Joseph
- Tantoo CardinalArlene Joseph
- Cody LightningYoung Victor Joseph
- Simon BakerYoung Thomas Builds-the-Fire
- Monique MojicaGrandma Builds-the-Fire
- John TrudellRandy Peone
- Elaine MilesLucy
Recommendations
- 100
San Francisco Chronicle
Beautiful in both its brevity and its vision of contemporary Indian culture, the film abounds in easygoing humor. - 90
Washington Post
And that's the surprise of the movie, beyond even the humor and humanity of its inside look at contemporary American Indian culture. It's really the oldest and most primal story forms, the one about the old man and the boy. - 80
Chicago Reader
Its particularities are the best thing about it. - 78
Austin Chronicle
The cast is uniformly excellent in their roles, and Eyre's persistent use of long, trailing shots reinforces the story's elegiac tone. - 75
Chicago Sun-Times
Takes advantage of the road movie genre, which requires only a goal and then permits great freedom in the events along the way. - 70
Time
A shrewd portrait, sly, casual yet palpably authentic, of the principal ways members of any minority try to respond to an uncomprehending world. [29 Jun 1998, p. 69] - 70
Variety
Breezy, often self-mocking tone proves fresh and invigorating. - 60
Washington Post
A well-crafted story with a unique voice. But its literary gifts are outweighed by its pictorial prosaicness. Dimming the screen in every shot is the unmistakable shadow of the page.
