Wild Indian

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I can see where non-native viewers may not understand the narrative. As an Indian I felt it on a cellular-level. After generations of trauma and violence to our people, one cannot escape the effects that are with you everyday. Of course each person is affected to varying degrees. I thought all the actors did a great job. Thanks to everyone who made this film possible. The history, stories and lives of native peoples need to be told. This is just one story. Looking forward to seeing more work from the writer/director.

In a superficial society that insists on dividing itself between black and white, what's between their legs and what they do with it, I can understand why so many people cannot see deeply beneath the surface of this film. In reality, we divide ourselves between those who fear the Natural World and try to conquer it and those who love the Natural World and strive to live in harmony with it. Our inane labeling system deftly skirts this issue. Although no one lives 100% on either side, some cross the line. "Wild Indian" tells the story of one who does, but with gut-wrenching emotional involvement. The many trans-cultural motivations, along with each actors dynamic interpretation of their character drive this film to perfection. The ending does not draw the movie out; Makwa must live with his guilt forever, with the most severe punishment being the inability to love and enjoy his own children. Having been born in the superficial world but with Destiny frequently plunging me deeply into the Natural, I can see the profound conflict that this movie highlights. I have now lived at the center in a small town in the Amazon Jungle for 17 years. In a gathering a few years ago, a young man didn't believe there were oceans. We told him to Google "Pacific Ocean" on his phone. When images appeared, he said, "Nah, that's Photo Shop." I find that story interpretive. My friends in the north scoff and call it ignorance. So with my experiences, I see "Wild Indian" much differently than most in my original culture. Watching this, I was gripped every second with empathy for the Apache, Navajo, Eskimo, Hawaiian, African and South American friends I have come to love.

I felt bad to rank this at a "three." The score is beautiful, cinematography expansive (for an independent film), and the story is solid. Two significant problems are the film's direction and more than anything its brevity. At first, I thought the title character, Mak'wa/Michael, was poorly cast both as a child, and then as an adult. The vocal fry and staginess of both actors were incredibly disruptive. That this isn't a problem of either young or adult actor's abilities becomes clear in the few scenes where they're allowed to deviate from a breathy Clint Eastwood "make my day" voice. Tedd-o, Mak'wa's friend, is infinitely more interesting. He speaks in a natural voice and is more interesting than Mak'wa because, as a minor character says, "So what" if he spent ten years in prison? He's a good guy. Beyond belief is that his climactic confrontation with a person from his and Mak'wa's mutual past begins--and then is totally elided. The climax of the film is edited out, and we skip to another major confrontation. I realized before renting "Wild Indian" a film so brief would have difficulty developing a single character, let alone characters. But "Wild Indian" develops nothing. The majority of IMDB user revew criticism had to do with running-time. Considering Jesse Eisenberg's role as producer and Sundance's participation--and more than anything, considering the ways another half-hour could have turned this into a not-to-be-missed--I'm left with the perhaps unironic impression all Native American artists involved were cheated mightily. "Wild Indian" is worth seeing. It would have been worth seeing even more if it had been funded to allow the running-time it deserved and Good versus Evil had been addressed. The overall impression of "Wild Indian" is that it fits the Short Film genre, and that's unforgivable.

"Wild Indian" may have an intriguing plot on paper, but unfortunately it does not deliver. There's little self introspection, and little emotional engagement throughout. The end result is bland and boring.

I really enjoyed this film but felt the trailers I'd seen were cut to make the movie seem different than it really was. Adding stars like Kate and Jesse but giving them a few minutes of screen time wasn't necessary for this film to still be a great slow burning drama.

Seemed like it had potential, but the story fell pretty flat. Ted-O was the best character, but barely developed.

Although it's only hour & half , you will end up feeling that it was a waste of time. The first two thirds are not to bad actually , with a plot, & nice enough filmwork/acting. But the last third fizzled out to nonsense , with a poor ending.

The subject matter of this movie is EXTREMELY important. Unfortunately, this plays more like a fictional documentary by a dispassionate observer, moves extremely slow, lacks character development, and never provides access for the audience to feel what fundamentally motivates the characters. In the hands of a nascent writer/director, the story was not fully and cogently developed. This is made even more dissapointing by the fact that the writer/director is the child of a psychologist -- and the essential psychological elements were repressed, undeveloped, and never explicitly expressed in the story. I can only imagine that this reflects the writer/director's own personal predicament in life -- unhealed. Showing what happens is not nearly as engaging, emotive, and inspiring of compassion and empathy as exploring the fundamental reasons WHY it happens. Abstract causality merely conveys confusion on the part of the film maker -- perhaps reflecting his own unresolved confusion about life on the res.