When the wider culture doesn’t treat you the same way they treat the majority, it’s sometimes necessary to get mad, pivot, and assimilate to the majority’s ways in order to navigate the country and advocate for your rights. That’s the path Northern Cheyenne activist Buddy Red Bow took in Powwow Highway, one borne out of clear love of the community. But the beauty of this Native American story is the way Buddy learns to heal, to reconcile with his community’s folklore, and to recognize the resistance in serenely keeping what the wider majority tried to erase. Powwow Highway won’t be a perfect depiction of Native American culture, but it speaks true to the anger and heart the community still feels to this day.
Synopsis
Two Northern Cheyenne men take a road trip from Montana to New Mexico to bail out the sister of one of them who has been framed and arrested in Santa Fe. On the way, they begin to reconnect to their spiritual heritage.
Storyline
Quick-tempered Northern Cheyenne activist Buddy Red Bow has to take a road trip to New Mexico to bail out his sister who was framed and arrested for drug possession. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a car, so he has to rely on his easy going friend Philbert Bono, who is guided by sacred visions.
TLDR
Look, sure, it’s produced by Englishmen and directed by a South African, but the film is actually a decent attempt at adapting a Native American story, with the community genuinely involved in the project.
What stands out
It’s rare to see a film that takes Cheyenne spirituality seriously, but it’s much more rare to see a film take those misconceptions, and actually challenge them.
