Sundance 2021: Wild Indian
SundanceThere is a theory about post-traumatic behaviour, which differentiates between two types of people. One is an accommodator, someone who endures their trauma but refrains from acting it out on someone else. The other is an assimilator, which is someone who acts out their trauma on others repeatedly, at some point accepting that inflicting pain is their only relief.
These two opposing ways of living lie at the heart of Lyle Mitchell Cobine’s feature debut, Wild Indian, which may prove to be one of the most underrated entries into Sundance this year. To say it’s a gem isn’t necessarily true; it’s an opaque and unforgiving film, but a must-see nonetheless. It stands apart from its competition not only as a stellar piece of Native/Indigenous filmmaking but as a drama breaking ground in ways never seen before.
Michael Greyeyes plays against type as Makwa, although he has legally changed his name to Michael Peterson. This is one of many ways he has tried to obscure or abandon his past, which is explored through flashbacks. Battered and desperate, the young Makwa (Phoenix Wilson) confesses to his friend Teddo (Julian Gopal), “I don’t want to go home. I can’t take it no more.” Shortly after, they are involved in an act of violence that changes their lives forever, somewhat in the vein of Tim Hunter’s River’s Edge, only its effects span decades and, in some regard, centuries.
The memory of that afternoon has repercussions that are catastrophic as these boys grow up, but most of it remains invisible to others around them and society as a whole. Both leave the reservation under different circumstances. Neither of them are forthcoming with their emotions, for better or for worse. Still, both of them are haunted and crippled because of what happened. Even death can’t shake it. No matter how much a body decays, the memory of it doesn’t disappear.
Greyeyes takes on the role of the older Makwa with a sense of calm and self-control that proves deceiving. The turn is stunning, especially in the wake of his role as Sitting Bull in Woman Walks Ahead. However, the show is stolen by Chaske Spencer as the older Teddo. Although a secondary character, he is consistently compelling during every minute of his screen time.
Spencer has appeared in other festival fare such as Skins and Winter in the Blood but is perhaps best known for his supporting work in the Twilight Saga. Those films are mere shades compared to what he does in Wild Indian. He is revelatory, crafting a performance that is as unforgettable as it is heartbreaking, on par with similar supporting performances like Joaquin Phoenix in Return To Paradise and Canada Lee in Body and Soul.
The only drawback to the film is the arcane nature of its characters, leaving a hunger to know and understand their motivations. Makwa and Teddo are men of few words but countless sorrows, and at times the narrative proves frustrating with what it holds back. On the other hand, those mysteries only deepen the richness of the performances, and that’s where the power of Wild Indian lies, not only in what has been done, but what remains unsaid.