Smoke Signals Film Analysis

Smoke Signals: Analysis and Comparison of Modern America Smoke Signals is a film focuses on two men from an Indian reservation who embark on a road trip across the country to retrieve the ashes of a loved one. The film, which was an all-Native American production with the producers, director, screenwriter and actors all of native Indian descent, provides a window of Native life on the reservation, providing a rural environment that reflects how many people in that culture are living during that time. The film follows two boys, Victor and Thomas; both confront several lessons on living in poverty on Indian land, family kinship dealing the effects of alcoholism, American society and society’s feelings towards the Native American people. The
America is often known as the melting pot of the world, where all walks of life, culture, and religion come, meshing into new and intermingled ways. The reservation has a radio show, which is an amenity of American culture. It shows that they are trying to be more American by representing the traffic and weather reports in satirical way. Although they are making fun of Americans, the tribe is still trying to modern. During the radio show, the host uses the word indigenous, which in American society can often have a negative connotation. It is very similar to the gay community today, where the word queer, often used years ago as a way to oppress and be offensive towards a person of that community, is now embraced and used in a positive light to represent members of that specific
Victor is show upset with him, for trying to become more of a white man. In Victor’s eyes, Thomas is assimilating too American culture and wants him to be more Indian, which may stem from his fear of alcoholism and the ties to American society. The two boys had a turning point where he convinces Thomas to only open up to being more native to his culture by letting his hair be free and not as uptight with his clothing. However, this doesn’t last long, as Thomas quickly dresses in his business fashion