It commits one of the cardinal sins of screenwriting in order to do so: It tells rather than shows. “Smoke Signals” is a film that constantly stops its own narrative to teach viewers how an Indian is supposed to act. Americans have always loved this kind of narrative and the film often tries to “Indigenize” clichés for laughs but, in the end, “Smoke Signals” mines Indian stereotypes much the way Quentin Tarantino mines ’70s exploitation cinema, only far less elegantly. At one point in the movie, Gary Farmer asks his son, “Who’s your favorite Indian?” It’s a ludicrous statement, written for a white audience, as if Indians sit around and think of themselves in this pop-culture way. Yet the film relies almost entirely on Western, pop culture-influenced notions of Indigenous people, referencing classic Hollywood tropes about Indians being warriors or acting stoic, culminating in a musical number with a catchy song about John Wayne’s teeth – a moment I’m still unclear about. There is a missing father there is alcoholism there are notable rez accents. One need look no further than the title card in the opening credits and the use of that damn Papyrus font.Įssentially a buddy picture – a road-trip movie about self-discovery – the film explores how Indians relate to American popular culture, as well as to ourselves, along with the power of story and the lies we tell others within those frameworks. But, today, in light of our evolving notions of Indigeneity and what it means to be a Native person in this century, the film feels dated. The film did well at the box office, grossing nearly $7 million, and was even added to the National Film Registry in 2018. ![]() It was the first real Indigenous film, written, directed and largely acted by Indigenous people, and it did what no other Native film had done before: It successfully crossed over to mainstream. Since its release in 1998, “Smoke Signals” has become a seminal movie in Indigenous cinema and Indian Country. The film’s creative team seems to have been inspired by the same impulses I had as a young, idealistic kid: People didn’t know anything about Indians, I was usually the first one they’d met, and I often felt the need to teach them a few things, whether they wanted to hear about them or not. ![]() But today, “Smoke Signals” feels clunky, even cringeworthy. “Now they’ll learn, and from an actual Indian screenwriter and director,” I thought. ![]() I remember watching “Smoke Signals” in Oklahoma City many years ago and thinking, “Yes! Finally, somebody has made a film about us, for us.” I was 21 at the time. “Smoke Signals” was released in 1998 and marketed by Miramax as “the first feature film written, directed and produced by Native Americans.” Evan Adams, right, and Adam Beach in Chris Eyre’s “Smoke Signals.” (Courtesy of Miramax Films)
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