tgrudin Reviews

The Indian Runner (1991)

A film about brotherhood

[28 October 2002]

This film is about brotherhood and how two brothers, at odds, struggle to reconcile their different paths. Like the story of Cain and Abel, one brother is the good, and the other is the unlucky and revengeful. Joe wants to unite his family and diminish hardships between family members while Frank, who has not recovered from adolescent struggles and fighting in Vietnam, still wants to play games and hurt those around him. Frank, the omni-discontent, ends up destroying Joe's dream of family unity, in more ways than one and while all this happens Joe remains attached to his dream.

The Other Conquest (1998)

A very poignant critique of religion

[5 October 2002]

This film explores the relationships between politics, religion, spirituality, and culture, focusing on some true and some fabricated events of the Spanish invasion of the Aztecs. Biting, the film charges with the idea that the nature of culture and the strength of a highly traditional belief system is not conquerable. Stressing the strength and perseverance of the human will, the film yields unforgettable images, some that stress the deep connection between humanity and religion. One immortal image is of a statue of the Virgin Mary being carefully supported down from a high place with ropes. In this image, the true condition of organized religion is viewed; one that is undeniably buttressed by the will of the people.

With this powerful look at cross-cultural interactions and the strong statements about the role of the missionary, the movie grips its audience, leaving us with a feeling that all human beliefs are related and filtered by our very similar eyes. The message that this movie sends about religious disputes is one of great importance and even greater shrewdness on the part of the movie's creators.