A thousand roads,
A million faces.
A million fates,
A million places.
A sacred land,
Through generations.
Ancestral strength,
The Native Nation.
I remembered my unsatisfactory experience with Prey before watching A Thousand Roads, another film assignment for the American Indian course. Due to this reason, I decided to watch this short film blindly, without seeing the scores awarded by the critics and the public. Therefore, I had no hopes and expectations; my mind was perfectly clear, and I was ready to pass judgment without additional considerations.
In the end, I was amazed by how a short, low-budget movie accomplished the goal of representing Native nations significantly better than a heavily advertised prequel to a famous Hollywood franchise. I criticized Prey for insufficient authenticity and the lack of focus on Native American characters, except for plot-armored Naru. A Thousand Roads produced the opposite effect, as the film looked like a documentary depicting the real life of ordinary Native people across the Americas. I can compare A Thousand Roads to a dart thrown into the bullseye because the film achieved its two goals with surgical precision. Given the short yet meaningful form of A Thousand Roads, I composed my impressions in two accordingly short stanzas.
Firstly, the film did a brilliant job of demonstrating the diversity of Native American people, the vast geography of their living, and the variety of their lifestyles. Amanda Cook, a Mohawk stockbroker from Manhattan (Alexa Rice), leads an intense life of a successful modern-day l Western woman. Dawn Nageak (Riana Malabed) is a 13-year-old Inupiat girl who had to move to her relatives from Alaska. Johnny Chee (Jeremiah Bitsui), a 17-year-old Navajo teenager, plays a gangster on the streets of Albuquerque and listens to hip-hop. Finally, Don Santos Condori (Honorato Ninantay), a wise healer from the Quechua nation, lives in the regal Andes mountains in Peru. The calm narrator’s speech shows the viewer that Native Americans are not shackled by the borders, as they walk a thousand roads and live in many communities and countries.
However, the film does not lower the bar and portrays its second idea with equal power and precision. In the corresponding stanza, I portrayed that thought — despite their diversity and sheer difference in lifestyles, Native Americans are united by culture, spirit, and blood. From a well-educated Mohawk stockbroker in New York to a troubled young man from New Mexico, Native Americans share similar values and ideas, the wisdom of generations that preserves their boundless Nation. The Indians draw power from ancestral lands and spiritual connections to overcome their crises. Amanda copes with stress by moving little tribal stones on her desk. Johnny strengthens his body and spirit in his native land, which should let him escape the life of crime. Dawn eventually bonds with her Alaskan relatives, and Don Santos overcomes the grief from not being able to save a sick boy by visiting ancient ruins, the legacy of his people. As long as this connection stands strong, the great Native American Nation will not fall.
In summary, A Thousand Roads filled me with a full spectrum of emotions, from sorrow and anxiety initially experienced by all main characters to hope and inspiration as they stood strong in the face of troubles. The calm narrator’s voice and the beautiful nature scenes from Alaska, Peru, and New Mexico added to this spectacular experience. Ultimately, I can recommend A Thousand Roads to everyone who would like to know Native American culture better. In my opinion, this short film should be considered a textbook example of how to represent a culture or a nation in the media.