Avatar (2009) ****1/2

Jake Sully and Neytiri

An achievement. A milestone. A breakthrough. I can say all these things and they would not overrate what Avatar simply is. Other movies have done 3D but James Cameron, like a god, has created a living, breathing world out of the process. Having experienced it tonight in IMAX 3D, never have I felt more lost in a world. There were shots and scenes that momentarily had me believing I was there. Never have I felt this way with any other movie. Ever. No matter how great a film may be, I always know in the back of my head: this is a movie. It is as Jake Sully comes to believe: the dream is becoming more a reality, the reality more a dream. As of right now, Avatar is the epitome of postmodern in cinema.

However, the one gripe I have (and it's a very minor gripe) is the 3D in motion. There was a bit too much motion blur for my taste. Particularly in the first 15 minutes or so. Perhaps I wasn't used to the 3D look. After all, it's not very often I watch a 3D movie - let alone one I actually want to watch. The ironic thing is the 3D was at its best when most subtle. It had an inexplicable immersive quality to the images. Like depth of field but with... more depth.

Now that I've got that out of the way, there is another aspect of the film that had me just as captivated: the culture, the people. Their dress, language, and sense of cohesion with their world evoked the Native spirit. The sources of the story undeniably drew from the history of the Natives as well. How the more technologically advanced society came along and drew blood whenever these people got in the way of what they wanted. It is exactly what is at stake in Avatar. It is an old story to be sure and the movie has received quite a bit of flack for its derivative plot but I feel that is one of its strengths when viewing the overall picture. After all, this isn't about the story. This is about the experience. And the experience of living among the Natives is one of the great pleasures of Avatar (as well as realizing Wes Studi is voicing one of the Na'vi). No one thinks about the story when you mention The Jazz Singer. You think of it as that movie that had sound. This one isn't going to be any different decades from now.

I can imagine real Native audiences watching Avatar and coming away with a sense of pride for who they are. In fact, I believe they will. Movies, in a traditional sense, have always been ideal representations of our reality. The way we wish the real world was. Well, I could see Native people walking away from this movie empowered. Inspired. After all, movies can do that, can't they? I believe all marginalized populations (and the majority) should watch Avatar. And let the experience instill hope, passion, as well as compassion. For me, the film really is that powerful.

Skinwalkers (2002) ***1/2

Leaphorn (Wes Studi) and Chee (Adam Beach)

Adapted from a Tony Hillerman novel, Chris Eyre takes a step out of his comfort zone and tries his hand at a (cultural) thriller. The story, although entertaining, is pretty standard fare. However, the attention to Navajo people and details keeps this one from becoming forgettable. In fact, for a genre that tends to emphasize twists and turns, the focus on characterization and culture in this movie is refreshing.

The basic plot follows a string of murders involving victims who are medicine men. There are sacred paintings done in blood to go along with them. Chee believes there could be some connection to the skinwalkers (evil shapeshifters) of Navajo stories. And thus, their pursuit for the murderer begins.

I will not go into further detail in terms of plot. There's actually quite a lot going on despite the familiarity of the story. Besides, what is more intriguing is the deeper conflict going on between tradition and modernity - more specifically, native medicine and white medicine. The movie is utterly predictable. But this ongoing (and very real) conflict is what gives the movie legs to walk on.

Finally, I commend Eyre for taking on genre and populating it with native people. It is much like the film Better Luck Tomorrow (starring Asian-American actors) in that the story is old hat but it is made new by giving the main roles - traditionally filled by white actors - to others. Of course, it is admirable to create unique stories with minority actors. But to change cultural perceptions of people, one must be willing to make changes to the established system. And tackling established genres like these opens doors for actors of color to do the same kinds of roles in more mainstream productions rather than the same Injun, straight A student, cholo, or rapper because Hollywood will realize more and more that we can do them - and more importantly, that audiences will respond positively to such change.

The Exiles (1961) ****

Tommy, Homer have a drink

Alcohol pervades many of the scenes in The Exiles. Many, if not all, of these scenes are never of these Arizona natives wallowing in misery but laughing and having a grand ol' time - and drink. You can smell it on their breath and clothes its presence is so strong. The modern native bears little to no resemblance to the native of old except in name. The people that inhabit this bygone Los Angeles are driven only by pop rock, fast cars, easy women, and booze. Spanning 24 hours, this is one restless, restless night.

For those unaware, alcohol has been an ongoing dilemma for native American populations at large. Many are consumed by drink and subsequent depression; they find themselves spiraling downward but incapable of dropping the habit. It is only one of the many things they have unfortunately become victims to from white America - along with ill-fated treaties and cultural genocide. It is a reality that has only become more prominent since The Exiles was produced and it is almost revelatory in that Kent Mackenzie (writer, producer, editor, director) was sensitive to this issue decades ago.

It's an admittedly strange film however. More than one account has referred to the movie as a documentary but it isn't. And yet it is. The mouths don't necessarily match the spoken dialogue like a Fellini film. It's shot in a way that makes the film look unmistakably set up. But the characters - the narration in particular - speaks truth. It is as if the natives want to believe this reel world they are currently in is make-believe; when they wake from this dream, they will see themselves back on unfettered land ready to hunt and play. Underlying their laughter is the abrasion of two cultures striking against one another, the need to "progress" and urbanize in order to survive and thrive- all the while preserving their own histories and cultures.

The most poignant words are spoken by Yvonne, Homer's wife:

"I used to pray every night we'd fall into bed and asked for something that I wanted and I never got it or it seems like my prayers were never answered. So I just gave up and now I don't hardly go to church or don't say my prayers sometimes. Well I stopped going to church and all that already. But I haven't started drinking or hanging around Main Street yet."

Yvonne, like some natives, has taken the white man at his word. She is genuinely trying to assimilate in the hopes for better futures for her children to be. She wants them to learn English and go to white schools. For her, God no longer refers to the elements and oral creation stories but the Christian God. She has given the white man the benefit of the doubt only to be severely disappointed. Much like the countless paper treaties, this is yet another tally to the list of failures and broken promises. Nevertheless, she's hopeful - but her final "yet" suggests her patience is running thin. At some point, she will break and succumb. However, this is why the final minutes of the movie prove illuminating for me. So as not to risk spoiling the ending, I will merely say when all else fails, start from the beginning. It's unprecedented in that the film forecasts a collective conscious that would come to develop in current American Indian-U.S. relations.

Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001) ****

Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner) and his brother Amaqjuaq (The Strong One)

In a way, it was what I expected. And then it wasn't. I expected Inuit customs, traditions, people. However, I didn't expect it to be shot on video. I didn't expect it to blur the lines between documentary and fiction. Based on an old Inuit legend, the story told is undoubtedly fiction. But it also has strong ethnographic characteristics; much of their way of life and daily activities are not shown in tight montages. Instead, they are shown in full as if to preserve their culture on film for future generations to model themselves after. It can be a challenging watch but also undeniably rewarding.

The legend, as told in the film, basically has Atanarjuat take a girl named Atuat - who was promised to another man named Oki. It conjures bad blood and so a bitter rivalry begins that extends past these two - plaguing their families in the process. In the age of Hollywood, a story like this is old hat. But it just goes to prove that movies aren't necessarily about what it is but how it is. And how it's done in The Fast Runner has a maturity to it one doesn't find in typical Hollywood outputs. It understands what the loss of life means for those who live on. It understands that we can easily forgive - but not easily forget. Endings aren't exactly happy here. But they are reasonable.

Now, upon experiencing this, I couldn't help but be constantly reminded of Nanook of the North, the landmark "documentary" by Robert Flaherty. It also charted the Inuit people and their way of life just as it is done here. It has been a long time since I've seen that film and am curious to see the differences between the two. But the chief difference here is that The Fast Runner is shot and told from an Inuit perspective. Much, if not all, of the production was headed by its own people and the spirit shows. It doesn't feel artificial. It feels genuine. Regardless of whether it was released in 2001 or 1901, I imagine the film would've accurately portrayed the Inuit people. In all respects, Atanarjuat is timeless.

Through Navajo Eyes (1972)

Sol Worth and John Adair, the authors of this book, headed out to Pine Springs and sought permission to carry out their experiment. The answer they received is curious yet enlightening in its necessity: What can film do for our people? It's a question I've often asked myself. Why make films? What are they in the grand scheme of things? I've often felt art only exists to differentiate humans from the animals. Perhaps that is what film is. It is merely confirmation.

That is why the question is surprising. The Navajo ask not what can it do for us spiritually, but on a more modest scale, what can it do for us economically. Arguably, film will not do much for them if anything unless they have aspirations to become successful filmmakers in Hollywood (read: none). The question is valid. It could be justified for the Navajo to say this whole filmmaking business is child's play, nonsense to pass the time. And that is not the Navajo. The contents of this book will have you discover that they are very productive people and this shows in the films the selected group goes on to make.

The experiment is simply to observe how the Navajo students make their films, what their films are about, and their reasons for making them - all with little to no interference on part of the experienced "white" filmmakers. This is all much easier said than done as they occasionally feel the need to teach them "proper" ways to frame shots, tell them to shoot this or that, and edit in ways pleasing to "white" audiences. But they realize differences are prevalent because the Navajo see the world in ways far different from ours. It had nothing to do with a lack of technique or experience and this is related thoroughly in practice films made. Upon showing their films to a Navajo audience, the one film that most resembled the artistry of white film practices was considered confusing, and yes, "white" whereas the others made immediate connections to the people. They would nod in approval.

What they've come to discover is that filmmaking surfaces the ways in which we see the world and what we value. Sure, this isn't anything new but this experiment makes this apparent. In fact, they relate other experiments done among white graduate students as well as the black ghetto. The black kids and the Navajo gave primary importance to accuracy and proper representation while the white students sought to recreate or manipulate the images through artistry. It easily lends to implications of manifest destiny, colonization, and the want to shape things according to our needs instead of living harmoniously with nature.

Perhaps most valuable of all is how quickly the Navajo were able to learn how to shoot and edit film. Their progress was truly unprecedented yet amazingly normal and not worthy of attention to the students. Motion is natural to the Navajo and they saw nothing to be praised. It brings up a good point: the motion picture is something natural to everyone. It is the art most readily capable of recreating life as it is. Where other arts take grand efforts to reproduce these qualities (and still fall short), the camera does this effortlessly. It is not surprising that film has become such a widespread, popular medium and entertainment. It works much like the way we experience the world and the ways in which we dream. Like fleeting moments, we only remember small visual passages in haze. But film, in that respect, is invaluable: it renders concrete our thoughts and memories.

Edge of America (2003) *****

Three Nations Lady Warriors

Based on a true story, a black teacher is hired to educate the students of Three Nations High. Initially in English, he is quick to catch on to the lackluster girls' basketball team. Soon enough, he begins coaching them. And of course, they begin shaping up. Otherwise, why make this movie?

But Edge of America, another great film by Chris Eyre, is not about basketball but about unity and harmony. Nobody says it better than Cuch (Wes Studi):

"The Creator scattered us to the four winds so we could prove that we're human by finding our way home."

It is a testament of the great ongoing experiment that is the U.S. of A. Could people of all colors, cultures, and creeds live amongst each other? Eyre certainly believes so. But to get there, it may make a man or two go crazy.

But this coach is just the right coach to make it happen - one way or the other. Kenny Williams, played by James McDaniel, may not understand native traditions but he knows the struggle. He's been there and he's risen above it. Yet, he holds high standards for others. Standards that disregard the values of others. There, he realizes he has much more to learn.

Tense, yet inspiring, Edge of America is a movie that makes you feel good. And a rarity, it explores black-indian perceptions. How they relate may open eyes, shatter assumptions (like a few I had going in), and even have you laughing. It's nothing new but it never hurts to be reminded: as different as we are, we are all the same.

Skins (2002) ****

Geronimo, Dull Knife, Sitting Bull, Chief Joseph

Skins is a more serious, socially conscious sophomore effort directed by Chris Eyre (Smoke Signals). Although not as tight in terms of narrative, there was nevertheless a lot of depth.

On a micro scale, it is about two brothers - one cop, the other a drunk - who love each other in that annoyed sort of way. However, they don't realize this until they understand the harm they do to one another. And as much as I enjoy watching Graham Greene work, Eric Schweig steals the show here with a key scene that reveals a bare humanity in grief that is truly courageous.

On a much larger scale, it confronts the realities of daily life for many natives who cannot stave away drink and live in conditions comparable to the third world. Eyre even seems to suggest that tribal police, despite believing they are helping their own people, do harm to fellow natives also.

What makes this a hard watch at times is knowing full well that the story draws heavily from the hardships faced on the Pine Ridge reservation, home of the Oglala Sioux. I was never aware that the heads of the four famous presidents carved on Mt. Rushmore are carved upon the Black Hills - a region sacred to the Lakota. But I suppose for natives who empathize with the struggles portrayed in Skins, the closing minutes might serve as a sort of cleansing of the soul that has long been denied in their history.

Little Big Man (1970) **1/2

Dustin Hoffman and Chief Dan George

Little Big Man was directed by Arthur Penn (Bonnie and Clyde) and boasts talents such as Dustin Hoffman and Faye Dunaway - not to mention a great host of native actors. Preceding the narrative elements of Forrest Gump and Dances with Wolves, it recounts the life and trials of a 121 year old man who experienced the ways of both the whites and Cheyenne. His loyalty and identity also sways between the two depending on which will favor his survival.

The great strength of this movie is that it revels in the cultural details of the Cheyenne as well as the major events such as the Battle of Little Bighorn. His first encounter presents us with the usual suspects such as fighting the white man, the proud skeptic native showing animosity towards the new white guest, and the battle practice of counting coup. But their later encounters were very insightful to the Cheyenne as a people. The respect shown towards a hiwani (sp?) and his special status among them was a welcome addition. How they perceived African Americans as the black white man was very new to me and is making me want to research into that further.

But there's something really odd about this film and that's the tone. It doesn't really seem to know what it wants to be; in the beginning, i found myself smiling and chuckling while events leading up to Bighorn had me reserved. It went back and forth between comedy and drama but in a peculiar way. It's as if the film was assuming the same flaws as Little Big Man himself. If this was a conscious decision made by Penn then that's absolute genius really. And that's certainly possible but I don't believe that was the case.

To sum it up, Little Big Man was an epic and ambitious hit and miss. It didn't quite get there but it did one hell of a job trying. And it's hard not to admire any movie that tries that hard.