July 29, 2003 -- Native American cinema in the U.S. has been pretty minimal over the years, but it is showing signs of awakening with such gems as “Pow Wow Highway” and “Smoke Signals” in recent years. The latest sign of stirring is “Skins” (not to be confused with “Skinwalkers”) a story about life and death in one of the most poverty-stricken areas of the country, the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota.

“Skins” is pretty much a complete Native American affair with a Native American director, actors and a screenplay based on a book by a Native American. The director, Chris Eyre, also directed “Smoke Signals,” the acclaimed 1998 independent film about life on the reservation. Like that film, “Skins” is laced with humor as well as tragedy, but it has a much darker theme. One of its main characters, Mogie Yellow Lodge (played by Graham Greene of “Snow Dogs”) is a tragic character whose life has spiraled out of control. A Vietnam veteran, Mogie is an alcoholic who has become a stranger to his own family. His younger brother, Rudy Yellow Lodge (Eric Schweig of “Tom and Huck”), is a reservation cop who seemingly has his life together, but he is also hurting. A cop by day and a vigilante by night who seeks justice on his own terms, Rudy's actions lead to tragedy. Ultimately, the story is about the strength of family bonds and the healing power of forgiveness.

The principal actors give solid performances, Schweig, Greene, Lois Red Elk, who plays Aunt Helen, Michelle Thrush of “Dead Man” who plays Rudy's friend, Stella, and Noah Watts of the “Skinwalkers” TV movie, who plays Mogie's son, Herbie Yellow Lodge. Also appearing in the film is Gary Farmer as Verdell Weasel Tail. Farmer starred in both “Pow Wow Highway” and “Smoke Signals.” Fans of “Northern Exposure” will recognize Elaine Miles, a regular on that show. Here, she plays the foul-mouthed Evangeline Yellow Lodge. While most of the acting was good, some of it was amateurish.

The film was shot on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and in nearby towns. The location shots give the film a very realistic edge. The grinding poverty, the squalor and hoplessness are all part of that bleak reservation landscape. I found the ending of the film to be somewhat enigmatic. What happens to Herbie? He is shown heading off down the road with no explanation of where he is going. Is he leaving the reservation? Is he going to college? Is he going to have a sex change operation? I checked the director's comments and found no explanation there, either. Maybe you have to read the book to find out what happens to him. Some people refer to this film as inspirational, but I found it somewhat depressing. This film rates a C.

I saw this film on DVD and the colors looked washed out. I don't know if this was a problem with the cinematography, or with the video transfer to DVD. I found it looked best on my TV if I lowered the black level to its minimum setting. The DVD has a few extras, like the commentary track, and a featurette about the making of the film, but that's about it. Spanish subtitles are available. Strangely, the sound seemed better on the featurette than it did on the feature film. The picture aspect ratio is 1.85:1 and the sound is Dolby (tm) stereo. I had some trouble playing the rented DVD on a Sony DVD player. There were lots of problems with chapter two, including skipping, stopping and image defects. Since the DVD was a rental, it may have been damaged by someone. It played perfectly well on a Pioneer DV 333 DVD player, however. The DVD rates a C.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in video and/or DVD format, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2003 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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