Smoke Signals (1998)

Don't listen to the negative reviews

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The acting in this movie is really good.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

I don't want get too political during this review, but I believe that this movie is not good as a result of a compounded number of societal failures. The fact that this was acclaimed as the first movie to have Native American characters portrayed by Native American actors and a Native American writer and director is unfortunate because in an objective sense, it's not a well crafted or well executed film. This is not because Native Americans are naturally less talented in artistic pursuits, but they just aren't given good opportunities to become artists or actors. Now, much of the blame for that can be attributed to the settlers and pioneers that took America for their own in centuries past, but, in the words of V, "if you are looking for the guilty party, you need only look in the mirror."Sherman Alexie's writing was rather disappointing considering how much I've loved his books. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is one of my favorite books because of it's sarcastic wit and emotional resonance, but unfortunately Alexie doesn't show the same proficiency as a screenwriter that he does as a novelist. There is still some of the same tone from his novels here, like in the song about John Wayne's teeth. Despite this disappointment, he has written a story that is deep and bittersweet at its core. Even though Victor and Thomas and Arnold are a little annoying, they have human conflicts that really aren't resolved at the end. In many coming of age stories like this in which the hero finds his identity, he or she is clearly a better person by the end of the movie. This is not the case in Smoke Signals. I didn't get the sense that Victor had experienced any kind of self-discovery or surge of identity; he just transitioned into a different stage of conflict over his feelings about his late father. Similarly, Arnold did not seem to have died in peace. He never redeems himself for the torment that he put Victor and himself through. This is not to say that the story should have continued, it's just that nothing was really resolved by the end of the story. This is unconventional, but I think it is much truer to life than a traditional happy ending.If you didn't like this movie, I would recommend that you read one or two of Sherman Alexie's books, because I think that they will give you a greater appreciation for what this film stands for. It won't make you like it any more, but it might make you more forgiving of the movie's technical shortcomings. Overall Rating: 6.4/10.

This movie was really a surprise. Great story and excellent acting. I was expecting a so-so movie, but still wanted to see it after reading a few reviews. Well, I'm sure glad I did see it. I enjoyed this film very much. Adam Beach, Evan Adams and Irene Bedard were wonderful in this film. The characters were well developed and Sherman Alexie wrote the screenplay in such a way that you were involved in these people's lives. Thomas' character is presented as a nerd at the beginning of the movie, but you begin to understand his emotions and wisdom as the movie rolls on. Victor's character starts out as seeming arrogant and a bully, but evolves into someone you would want to be acquainted with. This movie was a pleasure to see.

Through the history of American mainstream cinema there has been a both surprising and disturbing lack of Native American influence. Too often, filmmakers rely on half truths, fabrications and demeaning stereotypes to portray the Native American on screen. In the "golden age" of Hollywood, actors such as Clint Eastwood and John Wayne were made into prolific, American figures, while Native Americans were made out to be savage and bloodthirsty enemies. This is a trend that has carried over from the past and into the present and is truly disappointing. Thankfully, Chris Eyre and Sherman Alexie's Smoke Signals reverses this trend and creates a heartwarming and engaging tale about two modern Native Americans and their unique struggle with personal demons, conformity and the constant, overbearing, white culture that dominates them. The film is amongst the most notable Native American productions and of the most successful. The productions is also amongst the few films to be fully written, directed and produced exclusively by Native Americans.The Film, based on a collection of loosely related short stories written by Alexie entitled The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven, centers around Thomas Builds-the-fire and Victor Joseph. Both characters are members of the Coer D'Alene tribe and reside on the tribe's reservation in central Idaho, though the characters are marginally different. These differences both inhibit and enhance the journey they must share. When Victor, the more aggressive, athletic and conflicted of the pair, must travel to Arizona to retrieve the ashes of his estranged and deceased father, he must rely on Thomas for both unwanted support and extra money to supply funds for the trip. While on their journey, Thomas acts as narrator, both adding to scenes and fabricating stories about both his and Victor's pasts.The film relies heavily on a specific type of humor to drive the plot. The humor is almost exclusively Native American in its dry and sarcastic tone. The humor is offset by the shocking reality of the situation faced by the two main characters. Located in Idaho, the reservation is isolated from the rest of the world. This is illustrated in the opening scene as the reservation's radio station, "K-REZ", reports on local happenings and non-existent traffic conditions. As it is seen, both characters rarely leave the reservation and it is apparent that contemporary, predominantly white American culture is almost completely foreign to them. What average American citizens see as day to day society is both strange and new.The film, although humorous, tackles many issues faced by modern Native Americans. The issue of identity is of the most prominent. Victor is in constant conflict with who he actually is and where he has come from. He is aware that he holds a certain amount of aggression toward his father, but he does not understand this aggression until the very end, and it is at the point where he understands why his father ran away that he can accept his father's mistakes and celebrate his spirit. This is also the point where the idea of running from problems is also resolved. Running from problems is a constant in the plot. Arnold Joseph, Victor's father, is in constant guilt after being responsible for the fire that kills Thomas's parents. Although he saves Thomas from the fire he must live with the guilt until it becomes too much for him to handle. At the movie's climax, rather than running away, Victor literally runs toward the issue at hand and ends up saving the victim of a drunk driving crash. Additionally, alcoholism, a problem which faces both Native and Non Native Americans, is constantly examined. It is the reason why Arnold Joseph burns down the Builds-the-fire home and the reason why he leaves his own home. At first Victor is unwilling to accept his father's change after death. However, after coming to his father's home and seeing that his father still did care, even after leaving, he is able to come to terms with his father's struggle as both an Alcoholic and a Native person in American society. Victor leaves Arizona with a new understanding of his identity, a new found appreciation for his friend, Thomas, and the ability to face problems head on without inner struggle or violence.The identity of the Native American is studied deeply in Smoke Signals. Alexie's unique style creates a story that is one of a kind and completely different from the average American conception of Native life. Although it is entertaining and down right hysterical in some parts, the story evokes an important messages about inner struggle, understanding the family dynamic, addiction and acquiring the ability to cope in a less than acceptable setting.

Smoke Signals, film directed by Chris Eyre, is one of the greatest drama productions. The film, first presented in 1998, represents the current life of the Native Americans. The actors of this drama effectively embodied the different characters. For instance, Evan Adams as Thomas has inimitable ambiance and a great sense of humor which lids him to play a key role in the film. On the other hand, Adam Beach as Victor is one of the film stars who play the opposing character of Thomas, a serious and formal man. Smoke Signals is the first Native American film production, including actors, writer, and director. In addition, the film received several awards between 1998 and 1999 from different organizations. The film mainly focuses on Thomas and Victor, who are the key characters of the movie, and their life in a Native American reservation in Idaho. Victor is a basketball player and Thomas is a storyteller. Both of them are linked with Gary Farmer as Arnold who is Victor's father. In the beginning of the film, Arnold rescues Thomas when he was a baby from a house fire that killed his parents. After that, Thomas start treating Arnold as a father or a role model, but Victor and his mother were suffering from Arnold since he was alcoholic and he treated them violently. As a result, Arnold leaves his house and the reservation to go to Phoenix and complete the rest of his life there. A couple of years later, Arnold dies and leaves his properties in Phoenix. Therefore, Victor headed Phoenix in order to get his father's possessions and Thomas asked him to be his travel meet. At this trip Victor and Thomas faced many adventure events which make them closer than their childhood. Victor started to convince Thomas in order to change his appearance to be more as Native American and Thomas accepted. When they arrived to Phoenix, Thomas and Victor met Suzie who was Arnold's friend. Suzie tried to change Arnold image in Victor's mind by telling him the truth about the fire that Arnold made when he was drunk which caused the death of Thomas's parents. The film Smoke Signals is highly qualified production in all aspects. One of those great aspects is the film main story. The film was written by Sherman Alexei who writes the story in a logical way that makes it greatly reliable and simple. The well linked events of the story serve to a greater understanding of the Native American issues. A good example of these issues is the trouble relationship between father and son. Although this movie was filmed in the late nineties, the effects are quite surprising. Another interesting aspect of the movie is the cast. The cast were not Hollywood stars, but they preformed their parts well. Instead of hiring regular actors, the director chose to hire Native Americans to play the role or to simply to be themselves. Smoke Signals is a great film since it has carries a message, something which current movies lack. I believe that Native Americans are living in sort of limitation since they are living on a reservation that is under developed comparing it with other American civilization. The movie reflects a different kind of life style with a mix of values which shows us that people with different values can still live together and perhaps the differences are makes us more united. Considering the date of production and that it is the first movie made by Native Americans, I believe they did an overall good work that is why I would rate it with 4 stars.