Film ReviewsLegends From The Sky: voices that must be heard
Apr 17, 2015 Anchorage Press
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Legends from the Sky by Travis Holt Hamilton tells the story of a Navajo man, Ely (Edsel Pete), who returns home to the deep folds of the southwest desert after being deployed in the Middle East. When he reaches his grandfather's land, he finds it barricaded by an unidentified federal organization that is hiding a crashed UFO and trying to harvest the power of a Native American source that has been passed down for generations. The same organization has taken his grandfather, blackmailed his friends and family, and has set up a tracking and spying system that would make the NSA green with envy. The course of events sends Ely on a quest to find his grandfather and learn about his role as a chosen one who must be ready to receive the power and carry it through for another generation.
The story itself is interesting and has layers of mythology and personal relationships that are complex, remain nascent, and unfortunately never come to fruition. Blame it on the budget constraints and the struggle that independent films must undergo, especially those that represent minority voices or subject matter that isn't mainstream. Legends from the Sky, however, is science fiction-a very popular and forgiving genre-so it does have a certain appeal. The storyline benefits from a history of UFO and other types of sci-fi movies that capitalize on historic events, like the 1947 UFO incident in Roswell, New Mexico, subsequent conspiracy theories, and plain old human curiosity.
Legends from the Sky has a cast of predominantly non-professional actors who on one hand bring legitimacy to their characters but on the other their acting is inconsistent and at times flawed. The most compelling scenes happen when the actors speak in Navajo and seem more at ease with one another. The story unfolds at a very slow pace, sometimes too slow, but picks up toward the end. The movie suffers from continuity mistakes, some more glaring than others, but a couple fall under the "things that make you go, hmmm?" category, such as Ely running into the woods with nothing but the clothes on his back, climbing tree to evade the feds, then jumping down the tree with a backpack, fully equipped for action.
Legends from the Sky is part of a growing body of film made by or with Native American and Alaska Native filmmakers and communities. These films are often in short format and/or are underfunded, are distributed through online media or directly to DVD, and through the festival circuit if they're lucky. The fact that they don't get full theater releases does not mean they're bad, it means their economic feasibility is determined by powerbrokers favoring big budgets and mass appeal. Independent films that support emerging genres are important to the health of the film industry. They help an audience develop, and in the case of indigenous films, reflect an important part of society and issues. Legends from the Sky interweaves dialogue in Navajo, in total about 15 minutes of it. Not only does that add richness to the film but it also pays homage to the language and culture. After all, Navajo is one of the reasons the U.S. and its allies won World War II, and like all languages, it's in need of preservation.
The Native American and Indigenous Program at Sundance Institute turned 20 in 2014. The Institute supports native/indigenous filmmakers. Programs like this and others have fostered tremendous growth in the Native American media field and helped put these films on the cultural map.
Legends from the Sky shows at Tikhatnu on Thursday, April 16 at 12:45, 3, 5:15, 7:45 and 10 p.m.
Other Native American films worth checking out and available online include:
The 6th World about a Navajo astronaut, Tazbah Redhouse, who is a pilot on the first spaceship sent to
colonize Mars. But a mysterious dream the night before her departure indicates there may be more to
her mission than she understands. video.pbs.org
Indian Country Today Media Network also provides links to 11 Native American Films available online
indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com
The story itself is interesting and has layers of mythology and personal relationships that are complex, remain nascent, and unfortunately never come to fruition. Blame it on the budget constraints and the struggle that independent films must undergo, especially those that represent minority voices or subject matter that isn't mainstream. Legends from the Sky, however, is science fiction-a very popular and forgiving genre-so it does have a certain appeal. The storyline benefits from a history of UFO and other types of sci-fi movies that capitalize on historic events, like the 1947 UFO incident in Roswell, New Mexico, subsequent conspiracy theories, and plain old human curiosity.
Legends from the Sky has a cast of predominantly non-professional actors who on one hand bring legitimacy to their characters but on the other their acting is inconsistent and at times flawed. The most compelling scenes happen when the actors speak in Navajo and seem more at ease with one another. The story unfolds at a very slow pace, sometimes too slow, but picks up toward the end. The movie suffers from continuity mistakes, some more glaring than others, but a couple fall under the "things that make you go, hmmm?" category, such as Ely running into the woods with nothing but the clothes on his back, climbing tree to evade the feds, then jumping down the tree with a backpack, fully equipped for action.
Legends from the Sky is part of a growing body of film made by or with Native American and Alaska Native filmmakers and communities. These films are often in short format and/or are underfunded, are distributed through online media or directly to DVD, and through the festival circuit if they're lucky. The fact that they don't get full theater releases does not mean they're bad, it means their economic feasibility is determined by powerbrokers favoring big budgets and mass appeal. Independent films that support emerging genres are important to the health of the film industry. They help an audience develop, and in the case of indigenous films, reflect an important part of society and issues. Legends from the Sky interweaves dialogue in Navajo, in total about 15 minutes of it. Not only does that add richness to the film but it also pays homage to the language and culture. After all, Navajo is one of the reasons the U.S. and its allies won World War II, and like all languages, it's in need of preservation.
The Native American and Indigenous Program at Sundance Institute turned 20 in 2014. The Institute supports native/indigenous filmmakers. Programs like this and others have fostered tremendous growth in the Native American media field and helped put these films on the cultural map.
Legends from the Sky shows at Tikhatnu on Thursday, April 16 at 12:45, 3, 5:15, 7:45 and 10 p.m.
Other Native American films worth checking out and available online include:
The 6th World about a Navajo astronaut, Tazbah Redhouse, who is a pilot on the first spaceship sent to
colonize Mars. But a mysterious dream the night before her departure indicates there may be more to
her mission than she understands. video.pbs.org
Indian Country Today Media Network also provides links to 11 Native American Films available online
indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com