“Frybread Face:” a Film about Family, Flocks + Defining Yourself

Imagine that you’re 12.

It’s the beginning of summer 1990, and you’re growing up in San Diego. You’ve got a Walkman, a neon green fanny pack, and annual passes to SeaWorld.

Then your mom effectively cancels all your summer plans when she tells you she’ll be sending you to stay at your grandma’s house on a sheep ranch in rural Arizona instead. [Record scratch.]

That’s the beginning of Benny’s story in the film Frybread Face and Me.

Welcome to the Rez

Benny, portrayed by Keir Tallman, is a sweet, Fleetwood-Mac-loving preteen, who marches to the beat of his own drum.

His Aunt Lucy drops him off at the home of his grandmother (played by Sarah Natani, who is a Navajo master weaver in real life, as well as in the movie).

It’s the first time in years he’s been on the reservation, and it is a bit of culture shock for the city kid. Although he’s Navajo (Diné), he doesn’t speak the language and has grown up away from the traditions that weave their way into the life of many of his relatives.

Grandma Lorraine only speaks Navajo. When it is just the two of them, her words are not subtitled. So unless you speak Navajo, you are as in the dark as Benny is.

His Uncle Marvin, who also lives on the ranch, speaks English but doesn’t have a kind word to say to Benny.

Although Grandma Lorraine’s house is so remote that it doesn’t have running water or electricity, it is actually the hub that connects his extended family. It’s where they always return – especially in times of transition or difficulty.

The City Cousin and the Country Cousin

Things begin to turn around for Benny with the arrival of his 10-year-old cousin (played by Charley Hogan), who everyone calls “Frybread Face.” Not only is she able to translate the Navajo language and culture for him, she can give him the scoop on their relatives, as well. The two cousins bond while working together to take care of sheep, fix fences, and find time to just have fun and be kids.

Throughout the film, Benny is trying to understand who he is and how he fits into his culture and his family. He also learns that the adults don’t have it all figured out either.

Native American Heritage Continues

The film is beautiful with plenty of moments to both make you smile and to tug at your heart strings.

It was written and directed by Billy Luther, who is Navajo, Hopi, and Laguna Pueblo. While he has made documentaries (including the award-winning Miss Navajo) and television shows, this is his first feature film! It was filmed on location in New Mexico with shots that capture the wide open spaces and stark beauty of the high desert.

Frybread Face and Me is being released on Netflix and in select theaters today (November 24, 2023) in honor of Native American Heritage Day.

Film preview and photos courtesy of ARRAY.

February 28, 2019February 28, 2019

“The Wedding Guest” Invites You To Get Lost

Being a good wedding guest is pretty simple: make sure to RSVP, bring a gift, and definitely don’t kidnap the bride.

Samira - The Wedding Guest film — Radhika Apte as “Samira” in Michael Winterbottom’s The Wedding Guest. Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films Release.

In Michael Winterbottom’s new film, The Wedding Guest, the titular character, Jay, does not follow any of that etiquette.

Dev Patel as “Jay” in The Wedding Guest — Dev Patel as “Jay” in Michael Winterbottom’s The Wedding Guest. Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films Release.

Program

Dev Patel as “Jay” shows up in Pakistan uninvited, his duffel packed with multiple passports, a gun, and really nothing suitable to wear to a wedding. He’s looking for bride-to-be Samira, because has a job to do – and it’s not as a DJ or caterer.

Radhika Apte as "Samira" in The Wedding Guest

Although Samira, who is played brilliantly by Radhika Apte, does have misgivings about her impending nuptials, she’s (understandably) not psyched about the alternative of waking up with said gun to her head.

Samira and Jay - The Wedding Guest film

We travel with them from city to city, as they they cross the border into India, change identities, hide in plain sight, and try to determine how much each can trust the other.

Jay - The Wedding Guest film

Jay is meticulous about covering his tracks and wiping his fingerprints. And, yet, when a key contact fails to appear at their rendezvous point, he realizes he’s made a mistake that puts everything at risk.

Jay and Samira

Photography

Most of the film was shot on location in India, with the production following roughly the same route as the characters.

The Wedding Guest - road in Pakistan

They were even granted permission to film at the India-Pakistan border crossing. It was rare to get a permit then, but seems impossible now — just a year later — as tensions have escalated between the two countries.

Jay and his duffel bag - The Wedding Guest film

Instead of sets with extras, director Michael Winterbottom used actual city streets, alleys, and markets as backdrops, along with any people who happened to be in the shot (and may not have even realized they were in a movie). Often this guerrilla-style filming would continue for eight hours straight to capture the real-world setting.

Jay and Samira in the city - The Wedding Guest

Guest List

For as much time as we spend with the film’s principal characters, we barely get to know them.

Dev Patel as Jay in The Wedding Guest film

Jay is particularly opaque, maintaining his stoic exterior and leaving us to wonder about his true motivations and background.

We get a bit more of a glimpse into Samira, her feelings, where she’s from, who she loves, and what’s important to her.

Samira in the desert - The Wedding Guest

She’s been taken from one situation she didn’t want to be in and put into another one. Over the course of the film, she finds her footing and gradually begins to take back control over her life. I would have loved to see more from her point of view.

The Wedding Guest film

Although the pacing is more art film than thriller, The Wedding Guest is a good watch, delivering a steady stream of suspense and some surprising plot twists.

The Wedding Guest will show up in theaters in New York and Los Angeles March 1 with a wider release March 8.

Film preview and photos courtesy of IFC Films. Michael Winterbottom’s The Wedding Guest is an IFC Films Release.

The Wedding Guest film release dates

November 9, 2017January 25, 2019

Art Inspires Expeditions in “Headhunt Revisited” Documentary

An unusual expedition set sail from San Francisco in 1926.

It was composed entirely of two women with cigarette tins full of art supplies in tow. Their destination was the South Pacific. And their mission was to document cultures in danger of disappearing.

Artist Caroline Mytinger and her partner Margaret Warner did not seem fazed by the western dismissal of Melanesians as ruthless headhunters. In fact, Mytinger often turned the phrase around, referring to the search for faces to paint as her own “headhunt.”

The documentary Headhunt Revisited: With Brush, Canvas and Camera follows another woman-lead expedition with photographer and filmmaker Michele Westmorland retracing their steps 80 years later.

We travel along, not just through the Pacific but through time, as the film superimposes past and present. Its cinematographic shots are interspersed with grainy archival footage of traditional dances, art, and daily life on the islands. Westmorland’s narration dovetails with excerpts of Mytinger’s writings (as voiced by Lauren Hutton).

Elders, artisans, and family of Mytinger’s original portrait subjects share stories that give us a window into their worlds and the lives of their ancestors.

One of the artists we meet is Papua New Guinean painter Jeffry Feeger, who created a series of portraits that parallel Mytinger’s. His subjects come from the same places but are dressed in street clothes, rather than the traditional attire.

Mytinger’s portraits are like a colorful time capsule. The film is an equally vibrant exploration of the people, places, and traditions behind the paintings.

Headhunt Revisited screened recently at the Friday Harbor Film Festival, the Hawaii International Film Festival, and LA Femme Film Festival, where it won Best Foreign Documentary.

Hopefully, it will have a wider release soon. If you have a chance to see it, I recommend taking that journey.

UPDATE: Headhunt Revisited is now available for purchase on DVD or USB!

Images and preview courtesy of Headhunt Revisited: With Brush, Canvas and Camera.

October 20, 2016

Gilligan’s Post-Apocalyptic Island

You may think the 1960s television show Gilligan’s Island is simply the tale of a 3-hour tour gone terribly awry, indefinitely stranding its passengers on a deserted island where hijinks, visits from goofy guest stars, and thwarted rescue attempts ensue. But it may have actually been a metaphor for restarting after the annihilation of civilization.

I know. Mind. Blown.

The Gilligan Manifesto, a documentary debuting at LA Femme International Film Festival this weekend, takes a fresh look at the slapsticky sitcom that went into production the year after the Cuban Missile Crisis. I was able to preview the film, which places Gilligan’s Island in its Cold War context and aims to reveal the critiques of democracy and capitalism behind its farcical facade.

Originally confined to text in an article in Americana: The Journal of American Popular Culture, writer and director Cevin Soling translated his ideas to film, taking advantage of the audio-visual medium with groovy novelty songs, original animation, quick cuts of Cold War era footage, and scenes from the show itself. By the time the opening titles appear, you’ve already seen a depressing number of mushroom clouds and atomic infernos exploding in sync with disturbingly upbeat tunes like “Love That Bomb.”

There are also interviews with creator Sherwood Schwartz, cast members Dawn Wells (“Mary Ann”) and Russell Johnson (“The Professor”), and (actual) Harvard professors of history and literature.

After an animation introduces the characters and illustrates the parallel between the island castaways and survivors emerging from a fallout shelter, the film examines the society they create, positing that it more closely resembles a “true” (non-dictatorial) communist system than a democratic/capitalist one.

While a few points are belabored and others left hanging, the film does raise some interesting questions.

Do societal structures, such as class divides, persist when society itself is gone? What about titles such as “professor,” “millionaire,” or “movie star”? Can a person lead without being corrupted by power? What’s the best way to distribute resources? Is Gilligan the ultimate proletariat-hero? Do the castaways even want to be rescued?

The Gilligan Manifesto gave me a lot to mull over. And it’s definitely changed the way I look at the show and its character archetypes.

– Film Info –

The Gilligan Manifesto is a feature documentary by Spectacle Films, Inc.

Debut: LA Femme International Film Festival

October 22, 6pm at Laemmle Theater (Music Hall) in Beverly Hills.
Festival tickets available online or on-site.
Discount for Single Film Screening Ticket with password “special.”

Information on additional screenings/viewing options was not available.

Photos via The Gilligan Manifesto.

April 7, 2016April 7, 2016

Hostile Border: A Cross-Genre Film about Crossing the Line

Did I ever tell you about the time Phillip and I walked into Mexico?

On the Border

Okay, before I start the movie review, here’s the short version: We took the trolley from San Diego south to the border, over this elaborate pedestrian bridge with tall metal turnstiles. On the other side was a Mexican soldier with a big gun just kind of hanging out there, not checking anyone’s papers or even making eye contact. We stepped off the bridge into a super sketchy part of Tijuana, rolling suitcases bumping along behind us, trying not to get robbed (or worse) while we looked for a bus where there wasn’t any.

I don’t recommend that particular way to see Mexico.

There are some lovely parts of Tijuana, but the border draws danger, making the city swell with the pressure of desperate outsiders.

Over the Line

The film Hostile Border begins, not on the border, but in Illinois, where it plunges you immediately into the world of the ambitious main character, Claudia. Minimal exposition. No flashbacks. It moves quickly and lets you fill in the gaps.

After Claudia’s history of credit card fraud and undocumented status catch up with her, she is deported – through another metal turnstile in a Tijuana port of entry – into Mexico, where she has little connection and even less knowledge of the language.

One thing the film does explain outright is the meaning of its working title, “pocha”, slang for “a Mexican American who can speak little or no Spanish”. It can also refer to something rotten. The first definition definitely applies to Claudia. Whether the second one does is a question posed throughout the film in various ways.

Does committing crime mean you are a criminal? What happens after you cross the line?

Veronica Sixtos’s performance as Claudia is so compelling you don’t miss words during her long stretches of silence, yet she conveys emotion and inner conflict subtly enough to be consistent with the character’s guarded nature.

Hostile Border is about the people who build fences to protect themselves, and the ones who believe crossing them is worth the risk. It pulses between the genres of thriller and western with moments of intensity balanced by scenes with room to reveal the complicated relationships between layered characters.

Inspired in part by conversations with actual deportees, this debut feature film for both director/cinematographer Michael Dwyer and writer/co-director Kaitlin McLaughlin won the 2015 the Audience Award at the Los Angeles Film Festival and a Special Jury Prize for Directing.

Hostile Border opens in select theaters (see list below) and on digital/video on demand platforms April 15. You can preorder it on iTunes now.

Theaters:

Arizona

Cinema Latino (Phoenix)
Harkins Theatres Spectrum 18 (Tucson)

California

Laemmle Noho 7 (LA)
Media Arts Center (San Diego)

Colorado

Sie Film Center (Denver)

Illinois

Gene Siskel Film Center (Chicago)

Texas

Cinema Latino (Pasadena)

—
Images and preview courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films.