Smoke Signals

Watching the movie smoke signals was very interesting because I was able to visually see many connections. Concepts from Ceremony and Reel Injun were reiterated. Things like poverty, alcoholism, P.T.S and storytelling were all prevelent. Tayo and Victor both suffer from P.T.S. and they can achieve some healing through storytelling. In addition Voctors father and many of the men in Ceremony suffer from alcoholism. In Reel Injun, the poverty of these nations was displayed through people driving cars that only go backwards and this was repeated in Smoke Signals. Seeing these connection helped me realize just how much these things effect the people of these Native American nations. 

The movie Smoke Signals was very touching and sad. The saddest part for me was watching the alcoholism tear the family apart. Growing up without his father affected Victor greatly. It was sad to see how non-emotional he was to hear the news of his fathers passing. I also think that his resentment and deprivation of his father caused him to mourn the way he did. At first he seemed like he didn't care and he couldn't even hold his father's ashes but towards the end of the film, he let himself feel and he cut his hair and he spread the ashes in the river with the salmon. Watching Victor's story and transformation was beyond moving. 

The first photo shows Victor's father and displays his alcoholism and the second photo can show where Victor's father lives in peace and symbolize healing.