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.