Powwow Highway is many things. A buddy comedy, a spiritual journey, a rumination on what it means to be a part of a community, but at its core it's the purest form of the American roadtrip movie. Primarily focusing on two members of the Cheyenne tribe, Buddy Red Bow and Philbert, as they journey across the Americana landscape, from Montana to New Mexico, to free one of their siblings from jail after being framed for a crime she didn't commit. Along the way, the duo get into all sorts of hijinks while simultaneously learning about their tribe and slowly reconnecting with their spirituality.
The film expertly balances comedy and drama, never feeling like it leans heavily in one direction or another in a way that would be to the story's detriment. If it went more down the comedy route it would be too goofy for what the film tackles, if it was more a drama, Philbert's character and the film as a whole wouldn't be nearly as interesting, lacking that contrast needed between the two leads. And man is this film funny. The whole car speaker scene is a riot.
Powwow Highway deftly confronts the many issues facing the Native American population, mainly in the form of discrimination from police and specifically land rights, which acts as the springboard for which the film leaps from.
Any film with Gary Farmer in the lead and featuring Graham Greene in any role is bound to be good.
Powwow Highway is many things. A buddy comedy, a spiritual journey, a rumination on what it means to be a part of a community, but at its core it's the purest form of the American roadtrip movie. Primarily focusing on two members of the Cheyenne tribe, Buddy Red Bow and Philbert, as they journey across the Americana landscape, from Montana to New Mexico, to free one of their siblings from jail after being framed for a crime she didn't commit. Along the way, the duo get into all sorts of hijinks while simultaneously learning about their tribe and slowly reconnecting with their spirituality.
The film expertly balances comedy and drama, never feeling like it leans heavily in one direction or another in a way that would be to the story's detriment. If it went more down the comedy route it would be too goofy for what the film tackles, if it was more a drama, Philbert's character and the film as a whole wouldn't be nearly as interesting, lacking that contrast needed between the two leads. And man is this film funny. The whole car speaker scene is a riot.
Powwow Highway deftly confronts the many issues facing the Native American population, mainly in the form of discrimination from police and specifically land rights, which acts as the springboard for which the film leaps from.
Any film with Gary Farmer in the lead and featuring Graham Greene in any role is bound to be good.
