CRIMES AGAINST THE LAKOTA HAUNT WEST OF THUNDER
When the film begins, credits inform filmviewers of the Wounded Knee massacre and the forcible resettlement of the Lakotas to Pine Ridge Reservation in 1890. It is 1899, and Simon Seed (played by Dan Davies) appears in the town just outside the reservation. As the film progresses, those who committed offenses against the Lakota in recent years suffer in various ways or are found dead at the hands of Seed, who usually recounts what happened to provoke him – failing to honor food vouchers, killing tribal horses, participating in the massacre, contemplating the felling of sacred trees, etc. Sheriff Chapman (played by Clifford Henry) wants to arrest Seed but lacks evidence, so he turns Seed over to Lakota chief Little Thunder (played by Corbin Conroy). Seed’s revengeful actions, thus, constitute one possible response to deal with what the Lakotas have suffered. But Little Thunder and the Lakota elders believe that revenge provokes more revenge and must be avoided. The response, not clearly developed in the film, is a twice-quoted phrase, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil.” With the tagline “No more silence . . . ,” the aim of West of Thunder is to break that silence, thereby meriting Political Film Society nominations for best film on human rights and best film on peace. MH
THE MASTER DEMONSTRATES HOW A CULT CAN DEVELOP
It is 1950. Freddie Quell (played by Joaquin Phoenix), recently discharged as a naval sergeant, has undiagnosed post-traumatic stress syndrome and seeks to drown his stress with alcohol until he runs into Lancaster Todd (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman), who has developed a therapy that might help him. Todd believes that everyone is reincarnated and that many illnesses began in a previous life, so his job is to root out the person’s past trauma. He has written a book on the subject, has convinced his family of his wisdom, and he receives donations to continue his work, notably from those who have been treated by him. Presumably Todd’s musical performance, in which all females move their naked bodies, is one of those therapies. But Freddie presents a formidable challenge to Todd, who makes up therapies as he goes along. A guest invited to one of his receptions questions the scientific basis for Todd’s therapies, but Todd responds by raising his voice and attacking the question itself. As the writers of the ridiculous story do not provide an ending to the film, they present a noir conundrum for filmviewers: Why are so many Americans unable to think in a scientific mode and would rather believe in a hoax that only enriches a quack? MH
ARBITRAGE PORTRAYS THE NARCISSISM OF A BILLIONAIRE
Prospective filmviewers may expect to learn a little more about the craft of arbitrage in a film of the same title. Instead, 50-year-old billionaire Robert Miller (played by Richard Gere) has many irons in the fire. He took out a loan that he cannot pay back. He is trying to negotiate a price for a merger with an elusive millionaire. And he is carrying on an affair with his business associate behind his wife’s back. How will he resolve his conflicts? Somehow that is supposed to set the stage for an intriguing saga, but the plot is lost in the narcissism. MH