There is a lot in this movie. Not just a wide variety of emotions but also different cultures, different places, different circumstances, different people. And yet unless you dig into these different things and absorb them, the movie will seem very slow in a lot of places.
Rebecca's backstory is pretty sad. Apparently she was a Navajo baby who was stolen from a hospital. Then she was passed from family to family which seems strange since someone went to the trouble to steal her. Finally she finds a mother who wants to keep her and when Becky is a teen, mom dies. When dad remarries, the new wife doesn't want her. At one point there is a scene in the rain where Becky's words to the new wife just sucked breath out of me, they were so heartbreaking. She wanders in life for a while finally marrying a good man and raising two daughters.
In searching for her twin brother, Becky finds relatives who are Navajo, including her father and sisters. That's when cultures clash. For most part the clash isn't violent, but still difficult. A shock. Becky makes choices that are difficult and create a lot of tension. The life she is choosing is not easy. She's finding that being Navajo is not easy.
In the latter half of the movie there are situations that increases the drama and the tension so that the pace doesn't seem so slow.
I found it interesting that the very last movie I watched had Jamey Sheridan in it and there were several parallels that were striking. The parallels in both involved his character's daughters. Another thing I found very interesting is the juxtaposition of ethnicities. This Navajo girl is raised Jewish.
The acting is good by many of the players. But what is striking about the movie is the depth it goes into on a variety of subjects. It is not a fun movie and much of it is not upbeat, but it is a good one. My rating reflects more how I felt about the tone rather than the quality of the movie.
Rebecca's backstory is pretty sad. Apparently she was a Navajo baby who was stolen from a hospital. Then she was passed from family to family which seems strange since someone went to the trouble to steal her. Finally she finds a mother who wants to keep her and when Becky is a teen, mom dies. When dad remarries, the new wife doesn't want her. At one point there is a scene in the rain where Becky's words to the new wife just sucked breath out of me, they were so heartbreaking. She wanders in life for a while finally marrying a good man and raising two daughters.
In searching for her twin brother, Becky finds relatives who are Navajo, including her father and sisters. That's when cultures clash. For most part the clash isn't violent, but still difficult. A shock. Becky makes choices that are difficult and create a lot of tension. The life she is choosing is not easy. She's finding that being Navajo is not easy.
In the latter half of the movie there are situations that increases the drama and the tension so that the pace doesn't seem so slow.
I found it interesting that the very last movie I watched had Jamey Sheridan in it and there were several parallels that were striking. The parallels in both involved his character's daughters. Another thing I found very interesting is the juxtaposition of ethnicities. This Navajo girl is raised Jewish.
The acting is good by many of the players. But what is striking about the movie is the depth it goes into on a variety of subjects. It is not a fun movie and much of it is not upbeat, but it is a good one. My rating reflects more how I felt about the tone rather than the quality of the movie.