SPOILERS MAY FOLLOW. USE CAUTION.
My quick backstory first. I grew up in the far reaches of the Montanan Rockies, about a mile from the rez, but dang far from civilization. We had no running water or electricity, no paved roads, and no neighbors, though some Indians (they resented being called Native Americans) across the mountain had a sweat lodge, and there were many nights when I could fall asleep under the stars to the distant sound of their drums, and the wind rushing through the spruce trees along the high ridges.
Our little county was about 120 miles long and 60 miles wide, had not stop lights, and under 10,000 people. When I was in high school, our football team was a combo of rez and non-rez folks who chose the name “Savage Horsemen.” Despite the quaintness of all of this, drinking and drugs were huge problems. One young man stole some marijuana and some older, white drug dealers found him, cut him up with a chainsaw, and fed most of him to bears.
Since then, I’ve lived in a lot of places, but spent expensive time in Wyoming, where I also have a rental. I’m hoping to buy a place in either Lander or Pinedale in the next two years, though I live near Fort Collins, CO now.I was happy to have the time fall so that I got to see this movie in Wyoming. My showing was even better because I ended up being the only non-Native there.
Anyway, first off, the terrain obviously isn’t accurate, but it is serviceable, and I appreciated the way that Sheridan included elements that exist on the WR Reservation, from the red sandstones to the towering mountains to the parks, which most places call “meadows.” Having backpacked over 500 miles in the Wind River Range, spent tons of time in Pinedale, Lander, Dubois, Riverton, etc., and having just come back from a failed attempt at Gannet Peak (too much snowpack), I was very happy to be able to relax in the immersion of the names. If you’re planning on dumping someone off at Gannett Peak, though, I should let you know that it’s a 24-mile approach from the trailhead, or about 16 if you pay the $500-700 Indian “guiding” fee to access the Ink Wells trailhead on the rez.
Anyway, I loved this movie! Having worked EMS and seen so many rapes in that area somehow fail to “make it” into the statistics, and so many people abused, yet a failure for the wrong-doing to “stick,” I was very pleased with the ending. And having lived on or right by the Flathead, Crow, Wind River, and N Cheyenne reservations, this movie really hit home for me. The decades of unnoticed stagnation and deprivation in these lands has gone largely unnoticed. I recall when our helicopter was called in to Pryor, MT, because the medics had their ambulance, well, stoned and stabbed with knives, as weird as that sounds, so an aircraft had to remove the patient, and law enforcement removed the medics. It’s a section of America that isn’t represented often.
Although I’ve been blessed to meet A Martinez and Zahn McClarnon IRL, I’ve never met Graham Greene, so this movie made me really hope that I get the chance, given his role in Longmire vs here! Anyway, this is my favorite movie of the year! I’m so glad that Graham got work, and happy that Sheridan put the last little notes in the film that he did.
Worst part of this movie? Not wearing a helmet when sledding (or snowmobiling/machining, depending on where you’re from) will freeze off your entire neck and face if you try it in Wyoming, unless you’re going about the speed of a slow walk. My face hurt every time that I saw the sledding scenes.
Been up for about 20 hours now! Sorry if this is a mess.
