Response to Films - Doe Boy

Out of the three fictional movies we watched (Doe Boy, Barking Water, and Four Sheets to the Wind) I think I would have to say Doe Boy by Randy Redroad was my favorite. I thought that all three movies offered similar themes just presented in different ways, but Doe Boy really struck a chord in me with the main character’s portrayal and the subject matter. I liked that the movie was very character driven, and that it dealt with life and death and identity in a very real manner. The movie is about a young man named Hunter Kirk who struggles to connect to his Native identity and live up to his father’s expectations while dealing with the hindrance of his hemophilic condition. I thought Redroad was very clever using Hunter’s condition as a metaphor for his mixed-blood heritage (half Indian, half white) because it sets up the tension between himself and his white father very well throughout the movie. It is simple problems like these that make it easy for the audience to connect to the characters because the situations can easily be found in real-life. I thought the open ending further emphasized this real-life feel. Viewers aren’t just given a happy ending, we’re not told whether Hunter is actually sick or not. The verdict could easily go either way, which sadly is how it works in the real world as well. I think Redroad’s decision to leave that last question unanswered ties up the entire movie better than if he had answered it. Leaving the question open emphasizes the journey as the important thing in life, as opposed to just finding definite answers.