Before the screening of her documentary titled Remaining Native, filmmaker Paige Bethmann said that even though there’s a lot of running in her film, it’s not a sports film. And yes, the film is about much more than that and her comment is a perfect deconstruction of the way documentary can tackle so many themes without overexerting itself.
Nevada high school track runner Ku Stevens is a special person. Observing his success on and off the track, the film’s enormous impact comes not only from his grounded, wise-beyond-his-years personality, but the decision he makes in the second half of the film to honor his descendants. Intercutting between Ku’s various track meets and his overpowering desire to be recruited by Oregon, Remaining Native is also a lament for the atrocities visited upon his Native American culture. This is a film that looks at the idea of running not as a passion, but as a necessity.
Ku’s great-grandfather was one of the thousands of Native American children taken from their homes by the government and sent to “boarding schools” where their culture and knowledge would be hopefully wiped by our (supposed) superior Christian ideology. It’s yet another shameful action by the U.S. in a long line of atrocities against the Native American people, and although Remaining Native sheds light on these actions, it also attempts to reveal the deep laylines of culture that could not be erased- especially within Ku.
The final third of the film brings powerful resonance to its story as Ku and his family organize a 50-mile run in honor of the steps his great-grandfather made after escaping (several times!) from the boarding school. Culminating in a bittersweet melange of ideas and emotions, Remaining Native shows that the best hope for a new future lies in our youth and the way they move forward, whether it’s running or walking.
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Short on thrills but replete with atmosphere and an interesting spin on the supernatural layers of sideways religious beliefs, Will Canon’s The Confession starts ominously enough as a priest drowns himself and leaves a cassette tape confession behind for his actions. Found years later by his daughter (a very good Italia Ricci), it’s no surprise when things begin to go wrong with her and young son (Zachary Golinger).
Obviously intrigued by the idea of summoning (as Canon’s previous horror film Demonic trades in some of the same themes), The Confession could be criticized for not being scary enough, but I found the film to be involving and a unique modern take on a very old fable about the wandering spirit and their influence to take people away.
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I never played Dungeons and Dragons, and I never was that into video games, so the nostalgic trip of Jeremy Snead’s Matter of Time probably didn’t wax most poetic for me. Obviously designed to be a crowd pleaser, the film stars Myles Erlick as a young video game designer who steals a time-shifting ring from local comic book shop owner Sean Astin in order to make his dreams come true.
Shuffling nerd logic, roleplay games, some amusing side characters, and of course, crowd-pleasing romance, Matter of Time is harmless, entertaining fun, but it also takes one exactly where they think it’s headed and leaves no room for chances.
Dallas Film Now. 