amwolf-22493
This is the clearest and most direct version of the abuses that boarding schools perpetrated against Native Americans in the United States and Canada. I disagree strongly with those who claim the film is inaccurate. In fact, the rapes, physical abuse, and neglect leading to murder of children are accurate according to the records boarding school survivors recount. Most films which depict Native American struggles fear to "go there," to truly face the more hideous abuses that Native American children continued to endure until mere decades ago. The passing of the Indian Child Welfare Act in 1978 finally ended this pattern of kidnapping and horrifying deprivation, but the legacy lives on.Georgina Lightning did a fantastic, masterful job directing and writing this film. She has created a heartbreaking testament to the spirit of survival which many Native American women over the years have embodied.The film furthermore links racist abuse with cultural genocide and the manner in which white doctors turned trauma into a pathology. Women of Color have been diagnosed as mentally ill and institutionalized historically for reasons similar to the protagonist in this film. Few films truly reflect this reality.In other words, this is a brave, cutting-edge look at a tragic portion of U.S. history whose legacy continues today.
Gordon-11
This film tells the story of a native American woman who discovers that her schizophrenic mother is actually a victim of a scheme of widespread abuse, torture and a massive cover up at an institutional level.Even after reading the synopsis of the plot, I was still unprepared for the atrocities portrayed in the film. I have little knowledge in native American history, and the events portrayed truly shocks me. I'm sadly reminded of a similar film but set in a different country, "Rabbit Proof Fence". I'm glad to see justice is portrayed, and healing occurs. The plot itself is quite good, it's engaging because it mixes romance with drama and supernatural elements. I enjoyed it.Bradley Cooper's character is a bit redundant and out of place with the plot. It feels as if his character is added to the plot after the plot is written. Anyway, despite the apparently low budget, " Older Than America " is a good film and deserves to be watched.
ajbird
The main subject of this film i.e. the attempted destruction of Native American culture and identity is a really important subject matter. So why has this been cheapened by using it as the plot to a two bit ghost story?As other reviewers have stated.. the acting is shocking, the dialogue child-like and the plot is all over the place. I am still not sure why the geologist character was in the film at all. At the start he saw a vision of a dead friend of his.. this is never again mentioned as the film progresses. There is a bizarre murder of an official which plays no significance to the rest of the film. The whole thing is bizarre.The money put into this would have been far better spent on creating a documentary examining the real impact of real live characters who were abused by the system featured in the film.As a Brit I know almost nothing about modern native American culture.. after watching this film this is still the case. It just seemed to be filled with as many clichés as I would see in Twilight or other 'fantasy' films featuring Native Americans.
starsteamer
At first I thought it was the acting that was spoiling this well written film, then I actually realised that it was the shockingly bad direction. The camera angles and shots are actually worse than a bad Australian soap opera and make the interaction between the characters much poorer than it actually is. Again, this is a decently written plot with an important message behind it. However, the director and whoever actually gave this film to her should be completely ashamed of themselves. She has made this into a B movie due to her lack of understanding of basic shot, lighting and angle. In fact all elements of mise-en-scene. I have never seen a plot and actors destroyed so completely by a director. Completely disgraceful. A frustrating and unbelievable watch.
AD
