hopkinsrs We contributed to a Kickstarter campaign to help get this movie finished, so last week a DVD of it came in the mail. We were very pleasantly surprised. Three intertwining stories of young people coming of age, nicely handled. The thing that struck me so strongly is that the characters are so American and so Navajo at the same time. They are finding their places as adults, and also along the continuum of acculturation. Although alcohol plays a pretty big part in this movie, I dislike the title, which belongs to a much grittier and more knowing movie. While bad things are done by and to the characters, the overall mood is almost sweet.

euroGary "Drunktown's Finest" follows the intertwining lives of three young Navajos over the course of three or four days. Nizhoni (MorningStar Angeline), adopted as a child by a white couple and plagued by bad dreams, is trying to find her biological family; 'Sick Boy' (not his given name) is an irresponsible father-to-be who talks the talk about being a provider - he's even enlisted in the army - but who just can't seem to stop getting drunk, smoking weed or snogging unsuitable women at parties; and trans-gender Felixia (Carmen Moore) makes her living as a prostitute but dreams of the big time via a 'Women of the Navajo' calendar.Although Native American beliefs and rituals are present in the film - at its centre is a young girl's womanhood ceremony - it wears its mysticism lightly, concentrating instead on aspects of life non-Indians can understand. There's also very little, if any, comment about the wrongs done by the white man to the Native American: such sentiments may be justified, but they can come across as one-sided and preachy when heard several times over.Of the three leads, acting honours go to Jeremiah Bitsui as Sick Boy; he creates a believable, likable yet infuriating character. Angeline's performance may be hampered by her TV movie-like plot; while Moore's limp delivery of her lines may be a good portrayal of queeniness but, on the other hand, may indicate the actress just wasn't that interested in the material. Many of the supporting actors, I'm afraid, need to go back to drama school - too many sound like they're merely reciting their lines, rather than actually *saying* them.The film has its flaws: I've already mentioned the melodramatic nature of Nizhoni's plot. Then there's the bits where two young characters facing important decisions are told homilies by older, wiser, heads: not so much a signpost as a great big flashing neon sign as to the choices they will make. But overall I really enjoyed this, and not just for the novelty of seeing a film featuring contemporary Native American characters; it's actually pretty engrossing.

bbickley13-921-58664 At certain points it seem the movie was trying too hard to prove that Navajos are just like everyone else, but I liked that. You rarely see movies about Native Americans just living their lives day to day. It's mostly their culture being exploited and over- exaggerated to give it the same myth and legend of the Greek Gods or something. The movie tells three stories of three different Navajos. A street kid who joins uncle Sam's army to help his growing family, financial, but is struggling to stay off the streets. A beautiful tyranny attempting a modeling career, and a adapted Navajo trying to over come the fear of what her parents told her about her own people in order to find her birth parents.What I love most about this movie was that it was so down to Earth. I feel I got the best portrait of this culture, that I've never seen in any other movie.We all of the same story, but we all tell it different. absolutely recommend.

Houston_Curtis Sydney Freeland has written and directed an incredible film in Drunktown's Finest. Set in a small native American town, Freeland carefully and cinematically weaves viewers in and out of the lives of three young people who are all struggling with the confinement of small town life in a Native American territory. While the backdrop of the film might be decidedly niche given its Native American setting, the message to Drunktown's Finest is ultimately broad and very relatable to anyone who has ever undergone the struggle of trying to break free from the roots of a small town in order to find a better life for their family or find out who they really are. On the flip side, the film also relates to that person who is searching for his or her roots and wanting to know where they came from.The writing and directing show us that Sydney Freeland is a true emerging talent. Her cinematic eye combined with her delicate and moving story telling ability draws you into the film from the first frame and never lets you go! The character development is spot on and the acting is superb from the three lead characters right down to those who deliver just a single line. All in all, Drunktown's Finest is a film that grabs your heart, takes you on a fascinating ride and ultimately leaves you simply feeling good about being alive. How often can we say that after leaving the theater these days? If you like a good movie that stays with you long after the film is over....then you will LOVE Drunktown's Finest.