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SKINS Send This Review to a Friend
There are so few films that deal truthfully about native Americans that "Skins," directed by Chris Eyre ("Smoke Signals") from a screenplay by Jennifer D. Lyne based on Adrian C. Louis's novel by the same title, is welcome on that score alone. More than that, "Skins," although simply told, hits the mark by enabling a viewer to become involved with the key characters, their lives and the day-to-day conditions of poverty that Indians still face. This is not about profitable gambling casinos.
"Skins" starts with documentary footage to establish background, then eases into the fictional story. Eric Schweig gives a solemn, steadfast performance as Rudy Yellow Lodge, who is a cop in the Pine Ridge Indian Resveration, where the massacre at Wounded Knee is still a memory that haunts the Oglala Sioux. In contrast, Mount Rushmore, celebrating American presidents, looms as a flaunting contradiction to what happened to the Indians in the expansion and building of the United States.
Rudy spends his time dealing with problems that reflect the alcoholism and poverty prevalent, and he is so fed up with some of what he sees, that he resorts to vigilante tactics. The film also focuses on his relationship with his alcoholic brother Mogie, played very convincingly by Graham Greene. Mogie is a constant thorn in Rudy's life, yet Mogie still has an understated sense of humor than can be biting and there is a long-standing bond between the brothers despite the different paths their lives have taken. Something unexpected occurs when Rudy decides to torch a liquor store that thrives by selling booze to Indians, thereby contributing to their alcoholism.
A naïve quality permeates the script, and yet the characters are compelling and the film includes elements of the culture and rituals that they hold close to their hearts. A final act of reckless tribute to Mogie by Rudy adds a rebellious touch. "Skins" is a sincere and sometimes affecting work that is well conceived and well made. A First Look Pictures release.
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