Review: Smoke Signals (1998)

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Smoke Signals

Rating

Director

Chris Eyre

Screenplay

Sherman Alexie (Book: Sherman Alexie)

Length

1h 29m

Starring

Adam Beach, Evan Adams, Irene Bedard, Gary Farmer, Tantoo Cardinal, Cody Lightning, Simon Baker, Monique Mojica, John Trudell, Leonard George, Michael Greyeyes

MPAA Rating

PG-13

Basic Plot

A Native American teen loses his father and is sent to retrieve his property.

Review

Forgiving a man who abandoned you is easier than accepting the truth.

“Smoke Signals” opens on a small house on the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation. The house is ablaze by unknown means. A frantic mother heaves her child out of the window. Arnold Joseph (Gary Farmer) runs towards the house to catch the child. He appears to succeed and hands the child over to the child’s grandmother (Monique Mojica).

Years later we see the Josephs’ son, Victor (Adam Beach), and the child Arnold saved, Thomas Builds-the-Fire (Evan Adams), in the school gymnasium. Victor is playing basketball with some friends while Thomas looks on gleefully.

Thomas and Victor seem like old friends, but Victor treats Thomas as an outcast because of his odd behavior and mannerisms.

We learn through a series of flashbacks about life between Victor, his father and his mother, Arlene (Tantoo Cardinal). We also learn that Arnold has died and a telegram sent to his widow about the incident and asking that she come and retrieve all of his belongings.

Arlene is a little too depressed to travel and so Victor volunteers. Only they don’t seem to have enough money for the voyage. Enter Thomas.

Thomas has the money and is willing to donate it to the excursion on one condition. He has to go with Victor. At first, Victor is extremely reluctant and even refuses to accept. He later recants and decides to take Thomas with him.

One of the reasons Victor refuses is that Thomas has a knack for telling preposterous stories about life in Coeur d’Alene. Victor makes him promise to stop smiling, try to dress civilized and keep the annoying stories too an absolute minimum.

Victor attempts many times to change Thomas’ behavior. At times it seems to work, but doesn’t last for long.

“Smoke Signals” is an interesting film, but it is too long and lifeless to achieve success. The performances are on par, but don’t seem to further the cause of the film.