Smoke Signals

Smoke Signals is a turning point in film history. For the first time, Native Americans control the entire movie making process. Why is this important? For a century, their culture has been greatly distorted by Hollywood. An injustice that reflected stereotypes and the closing of the frontier.

Smoke Signals is focused on the struggles of the main character, Victor. Victor is young man, who struggles dealing with his father's past.  He wants to be a strong stoic Native American compared to his friend Thomas. Thomas plays the role of the geek with oversized glasses and counteracts the anger and frustrations of Victor.

I love the role of Victor. Throughout the movie, he confronts Native American stereotypes. It feels natural. Not over the top. He struggles with friends like Thomas not standing up for what he believes in. When Thomas has to travel with Victor to pick up his father's ashes, we begin to see the plot take any many diverse themes related to Native American history. The writing is simply amazing for this film.
Somehow, the two opposing forces will learn from each other. They revisit Victor's father and the world they live in using humor and truly touching examples of grace. All while allowing us the viewer to examine Native American culture. It opens our minds to understanding the oppression committed by this country to our native ancestors.

This is a great movie presenting the point of view of Native Americans trying to regain their identity that was stripped from them from the invasion of the Americas. The movie is based on the book Tonto and the Lone Ranger Fight in Heaven. The combination of the book and movie would be a great double feature.

American History X

American History X, while not new is a movie that people need to see. Many administrators both in large city schools and small rural districts deal with the issues of discrimination based on the color of a person's skin. Swastikas, graffiti filled with hate, and discrimination based on gender is very prevalent in schools. What this movie does very well is explain the roots of intolerance. A must see for future educators or people working within the safety net.

Sicko

Sicko for me, captures the politics that is holding healthcare hostage for all Americans. Our society has a safety net for healthcare that is based on usage and consumption.  There is an irony to people's reaction to healthcare. They prefer a lottery system of care. Let's play the odds of us getting sick instead of providing comprehensive care for everyone.  If you pay as you go and never use it, than you deserve a lower premium. If you ever need the safety net, you quickly learn that our coverage is never enough to prevent bankruptcy and overburden our personal relationships.

This is what I like about Sicko. It demonstrates how the Lottery system works. The insured are only safe as long as they never really use the insurance for its fullest intent. When someone has a catastrophic event in our country, the burden of coverage can cause stress and deepen the complications of being sick. Michael Moore brings out the debate in a calmer manner than his other films. He allows the viewers to decide for themselves the quality of care we provide in our country by providing first hand accounts of our healthcare system.

Sicko allows the insured and uninsured to tell their story. The facts behind our system of care are disputable, but the overall picture is that our country is failing to provide a system of care that is equitable for all citizens. Congress has successfully created a reality that healthcare is not a right, it is a choice. We are afraid to require a system of care that is both equitable and fair from top to bottom. The income inequalities that exist in our country benefit from a system of care that is systemically not required. For this reason, change will be difficult for future administrations. Can the United States go to a single payer system that is similar to the one's found in developed nations? What is interesting is that the citizens of countries with a single payer health insurance are overall, extremely happy to have a system of care that provides for every citizen.