LFF 2021: Wild Indian
LFFLyle Mitchell Corbine Jr's Wild Indian is a brooding and meditative portrayal of conscience. A theme expertly curated with intensity, emotion, and internal turmoil of character exude in Corbine Jr's screenplay and utterly outstanding performance from lead Michael Greyeyes.
The first thing to note in Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr's feature is that it makes the viewer wait. That should not come as a backhanded comment either, as Wild Indian takes the foundation of simplicity and builds upon its own idiosyncrasies of theme – specifically how the feature touches upon the likes of acceptance, conscience and regret. It boils itself over into a brooding flavour of character and, with that, a rich thematic weight takes shape which ultimately elevates this relatively straightforward portrait of revenge.
These emotive strands are not linear or predictable, and Wild Indian does a spectacular job of growing and showcasing these themes in its narrative. Nevertheless, the themes could be anything but straightforward and offer such interesting depth and layers. Viewers are seeing the terrific performance of Phoenix Wilson – who does a wonderful job at such a tender age, juggling mood and evokes an endearing turn of trauma. On the other side, Chaske Spencer, as adult Teddo, continues this emotive strand of trauma in the present day in another character directly connected to the incident at hand. It is a performance very much like the film that is perfectly weighted and utilises the motif of internalising hurt and pain without verbally stating stuff, and that is through the power of physicality and screenplay. The former is the feature’s most compelling tool and is connected wholeheartedly to the latter.
It is, however, the standout performance of Michael Greyeyes as Makwa/Michael that shines so bright here. Stoic, enigmatic, and intimate are all surrounding qualities that produce a harrowing depiction of torment struggling to come to fruition. A theme of pushing down and letting grief and wound manifest and swallow one up whole. Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr's screenplay keeps Greyeyes' dialogue brief but not because the actor is incapable of delivering it but of doubling down on the effective mysticism and enigmatic nature of emotional depiction. This creates animosity and immersion between viewer and subject, as the limited amount of knowledge crafts a really intriguing layer of depth that is never entirely spoken aloud – an ever effective sentiment.
Wild Indian can often be slow and, for a feature just hitting ninety minutes, it feels as if leaving the past for a more enigmatic stance would undoubtedly give the present a greater layer of mood and ambiguity. The inclusion of a blink-and-you'll-miss-it Jessie Eisenberg cameo crops up with a more surprising quality than being effective. Nevertheless, the most tentative, questionable but delighting quality is the features ending; the fact that it ends on quite an abrupt and nonchalant manner, in the opposite direction of what perhaps the viewer would be expecting. It is delightful in the fact that it perfectly and quite effectively demonstrates the themes it has been presenting throughout in that very grief and trauma. They are not linear, nor do they act in a structure. They flow and brood in often strange and questionable depictions and manifestations, with Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr feature understanding and projecting said element for a thought-provoking and reflective atmosphere.
