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The Stream Queen watches Drunktown’s Finest
10 Plays3 years ago
In honor of Native American Heritage Month, we explore a powerful movie by Navajo director Sydney Freeland. The Stream Queen is joined by Alejandra Martinez, a graduate of Film studies and a film critique, to watch and discuss Drunktown’s Finest. Let’s go!
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Stream Queen'
00:00:00
Speaker
to all the ladies I am big it's the pictures that got small
00:00:14
Speaker
All this way for my advice, I feel like Oprah. Person your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy night. What the hell? I'm not going to worry about if people accept me or not. I'm going to pick Hollywood wherever I am at. As if!
00:00:34
Speaker
Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Stream Queen, where we select films by female directors to watch and discuss on our show. I'm your host, Tapia Leitoadibo, and every week I invite a friend to join me in watching movies and indulging in our love of cinema.
Discussion on 'Drunktown's Finest'
00:00:51
Speaker
Today, the Stream Queen watches Drunk Town's Finest by Sydney Freeland. It's available on Amazon and iTunes, and that's pretty much it. And before we get started, I want to introduce my guest. Join me in introducing Alejandra Martinez, although we're going to call her Ale, is that okay?
00:01:14
Speaker
That's perfectly fine. Yeah. And Ale is, um, she's a graduate of film studies, but also writes critique herself. So she's a perfect guest to have on our show. So how's it going? Hello, welcome. Hi, thank you for having me on. This is so exciting. Um, yeah, I'm, I'm excited to dig into this movie. Um, yeah, sorry. Had you, had you heard about this movie before?
00:01:42
Speaker
I actually had not. So I want to thank you for introducing me to it too, because I ended up enjoying it a lot. But I know that's kind of the later half of the show.
00:01:52
Speaker
I could say that. Oh yeah. You can tell me all about that.
Challenges of Representation: Native American Directors
00:01:56
Speaker
Um, yeah. So, um, one of the, so one of the really tough tasks that I set myself was to, um, cause we're going to air this during native American heritage month, which is in November. And I wanted to find not just a native American who identifies a native American director, but a female native American director.
00:02:19
Speaker
Turns out that was probably one of the hardest things I could have asked myself to do. Particularly when you're thinking about fiction and not just documentary. So if you're looking for a female Native American director that does documentaries, there is definitely a few of them out there that you can look to. But to find something that is narrative and that is fictional but still draws on some of
00:02:47
Speaker
The culture was incredibly tough. And so when I came across this person and I read the synopsis and the plot, I was like, this is either going to be like really, really emotional or really, really, really emotional. Yeah, yeah, definitely.
00:03:06
Speaker
And I feel like it ticked all of the boxes. So just to give our audience a little primer, this debuted at Sundance Film Festival in 2014. And Robert Redford is actually the executive producer of this. So hello, this is the way you can be an ally and get people's work out there. So if you're listening and if you're in the film industry,
00:03:30
Speaker
or you're a studio guy or an executive producer, go find yourself a Native American female director and give her all of your support because we can't have just one person. There needs to be more than that.
Emotional Engagement and Character Analysis
00:03:43
Speaker
Now, I would very, very, very, very much like to get your overall thoughts about this movie. Right. Yeah. So I think I came into this movie, like not really, I mean, I read the synopsis as well, but
00:03:57
Speaker
I think I was also like, I was like, I knew it was going to be emotional. And I knew that like, um, it was going to move me. I guess that's repetitive, but, um, I was like, I found myself really like, like really caring about, um, everybody in the movie, which is rare. I don't think I had a care. Well, I mean, there was like one character that I didn't like or like,
00:04:25
Speaker
There were a few obvious ones that I didn't really like. But the main characters, I liked all of them equally. And yeah, I was just relieved, I guess, that it went a different way than I thought it was going to go. Because halfway through the movie, things kind of hit a low point. And I was just like, oh, where is this going to go? How is this going to peter out?
00:04:55
Speaker
Um, cause you like, I could see it going either way. And like, um, especially with, um, Felicia story, the, the native trans woman who's in this movie or native trans woman character who's in this movie. I was just rooting for her the whole time and so scared. Like, I was just like, don't go to New York. With this daddy that you don't know. I was just like, but.
00:05:25
Speaker
And can I just say her friend didn't really do a great job of convincing her not to go. She was just like, I'm going to go. And he was like, well, I think you are better off as a brunette. And I was like, um, I feel like you need to put a little more work into convincing her that this is a bad idea. Absolutely. Yeah. I think he could have, he could have been a bit of a stronger influence there. Maybe just been like, girl, what are you thinking? Like stay here, please.
00:05:51
Speaker
Yes, absolutely. And just to give our audience a little bit of an insight into the movie, you do follow three characters during this whole film. And one of them, like Allie just talked about, is Felicia, who's this beautiful trans woman.
00:06:07
Speaker
And she's really just trying to seek acceptance in this world. Like, you know, being trans obviously is incredibly difficult under any circumstances, but then you throw being Native American and just kind of all the layers of intersectionality and
00:06:25
Speaker
It's just, it's a beautiful story. There's definitely some heartache in there. And then we have Nick Sony. I hope I pronounced her name wrong. I apologize to whoever wrote her name. It's a beautiful name, but he is a young college bound student who's raised in a white family, Christian, and she's just really trying to discover her Navajo roots.
00:06:49
Speaker
And then we also have our third protagonist, Sick Boy, who's just rebellious, he's angry, he's always getting into trouble. He has a chance to basically join the military as a way out of his situation. And we're just following these three young people in the Navajo reservation in New Mexico.
00:07:11
Speaker
Ali, like you said, your mind goes to like, oh my gosh, tragedy, something bad is going to happen. I don't know if I can get through this. Like what else like was going through your mind? Well, I was just like, oh my God. Cause like I, the way, I mean,
00:07:29
Speaker
the way Native representation has typically played out in media, like, kind of primes you to think like the worst for these characters. So I absolutely, yeah, I was just like, dreading, like, I was like, Oh, these are all really interesting, like dynamic people. And like, I want to like, follow them through the story. And like, they're like gross throughout the
00:07:51
Speaker
And then conflict would happen, which is a normal part of any movie, right? You have to have some problems. It can't always be a bruise. It can't always be a bruise.
00:08:04
Speaker
Right. But at the same time, I was like, if anything happens to any of these people, I'm going to lose it. That's amazing. I think Sydney did such a great job of setting up the lives of each of these characters to make you like root for them, to make you want the best for them.
00:08:23
Speaker
And then the whole time, you're just dreading that something horrible is going to happen. Like, I feel like any film that I have seen with trans women is like there's always some violence, right? And so in your head, you're just half expecting violence. And just looking at her friend, Eugene, you know, like he's experienced violence. Like, but she kind of shows that in a tasteful way without actually showing us violence. But the threat of it is always hanging. And she does such a beautiful job of like
00:08:53
Speaker
giving us that atmosphere without using Native American bodies and violence as a way to show her point, which was, you don't get in other movies. Absolutely. I was going to say, I really admired that too. Like that scene that you're alluding to with Eugene is Eugene and Felicia meeting up to get Felicia's ID so she can audition for this calendar shoot. And he's wearing sunglasses when he walks in. And when he takes them off, there's a black eye.
00:09:22
Speaker
And so like, like you mentioned earlier, I think in the hands of a lesser director, like they would have resorted to actually showing you the thing. But in a way, like, I hope this makes sense. But like, I know there's like, show don't tell. And I feel like sometimes when you show violence, it's telling. And I think the way she did it was showing and in like a very respectful, like, human way, like,
00:09:50
Speaker
Yeah. Which I appreciate it. I think that especially people of color are kind of tired of seeing like brown bodies being hurt and attacked on screen for the sole purpose of trying to tell a story. And sometimes it doesn't even. And they're not even just people of color, but women too. It's like, how can we tell the story? How can we lay out the threat and fears and dangers without actually having to
00:10:20
Speaker
do like violence porn, you know, on, yeah, in the movies. So that was that was pretty great.
Cultural Education Through Film
00:10:28
Speaker
And then on the flip side, you have sick boy who is all about the violence. Yeah, yeah. And can't seem to control his impulses. I'm like, how are you gonna make it to the military? You all you literally just had to get stay out of trouble until Monday. I know. I was just like, when he was like,
00:10:47
Speaker
When he's tasked with getting the moccasins for his daughter's puberty ceremony, and then he goes off and does like, goes on like an all night party thing, I was like, you had one thing to do. He's just one thing, just get the moccasins, go home. That's it. And then it's like, I don't know why he got all those burgers. I know, I was just like,
00:11:12
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, of course, like she sets him up as like just someone who doesn't make great decisions and is just a slave to his impulses from the very beginning. So you kind of root for him to do better and then you just see kind of the snowball effect of all his decisions and you're just like, why sick boy? Yeah, definitely.
00:11:36
Speaker
And I really did think that he was going to go down further into that darkness with his friends who want to rob Walmart for Sudafan. Yeah, me too. I was like, don't do that. I was like, this is not going to be Breaking Bad. And even that doesn't end well. No, it doesn't end well. And also, you're going to be a father. Yeah, I was going to say. Yeah.
00:12:03
Speaker
What? Very, very, very, very tough. And so like, okay, then let's talk about Nick Sony's journey, which was also, oh, my heart goes out to this girl. Oh my God, same. Oh man, I wanted to like,
00:12:22
Speaker
I just wanted to comfort her parents so bad because how are you going to cut off your adoptive daughter from her community like that? Yeah. And I think that that's a lot of fear, not just within the
00:12:41
Speaker
Native American community. But like, I mean, there's obviously been this history in there of Native kids being adopted or forcibly removed from their family. This was definitely a nicer level because it seemed like the adoption was mutual. But you know, it's usually either or. It's like they either don't get adopted or they do. And it's like they're cut off.
00:13:05
Speaker
Right, because, you know, studies say that it's better for them. And, you know, it's almost you're trying to live in two worlds. Like, you know, you're different and you don't understand why because you don't have a connection to your roots.
00:13:19
Speaker
But you also have these parents that you love and you obviously want them to feel like they're still your parents. I just felt like you could see his struggle, which was manifesting in nightmares. And that was a really powerful way of showing that she was in turmoil. Yeah, I think so too. Like the whole scene with the car accident.
00:13:44
Speaker
when she's doing the community service work with the like cleanup crew who I love them. I love both of those guys. They were great. Incredible. I really want like a spin off. I would hang out with them. Like a little comedy show. Yeah, definitely. Like that whole sequence is like so harrowing and so like
00:14:09
Speaker
I think because at the beginning of the movie, you see, um, I'm probably going to butcher her name too. And I apologize, but you see, um, me showing me, um, like drawing a horse with the red hand prints in her notebook. And then at that accident, that's the horse that gets like hit and like, it's there. And it's just like great use of like setting a toner at the beginning and then like following it through with that like payoff and also like,
00:14:38
Speaker
The I think like the horror of that moment felt like really like lynching to me. Like that car crash scene reminded me of the I think there's a car crash in. Oh, my God. I'm blanking on the name of the movie. It's. That's one. I've only seen Crash, actually. But I think it was. Oh, my God. It's
00:15:07
Speaker
Oh my God. Okay. I'm sorry. It has, uh, who's in it. Okay. Part, um, Patricia Arquette and, um, lost highway, lost highway. Yes. Yes. It reminds me of a car crash scene in that movie. Um, like just the same level and like, just, uh, what is it? Like disturbance, I guess. I mean, we'll disturbance obviously, but like, um, like dread and like,
00:15:36
Speaker
Except here, there's like, you know, for booting or something. Right. Yeah. Yeah. And that clear like tie to like how she's been dealing or maybe like compartmentalizing like her trauma with that. Mm hmm. Yeah, for sure. And yeah, I mean, I would say like I was definitely mad at her parents for hiding those letters. Oh, yeah. Right. Yeah. I mean, I.
00:16:03
Speaker
I guess I get it because eventually the mom really reveals the real reason. And it's not just about making sure she grows up in this safe environment and is adjusting well, but it's a fear of losing her as well. And you do wonder how many people are really going through that. But yeah, and then another thing about that crash, which was really interesting, and I think they set it up before,
00:16:32
Speaker
tapping into Navajo spiritualism. And there are certain things that I have learned over the last year from watching like reservation dogs about like the owl being a bad omen, which you would never think. So in a way, this film was also doing its job of like educating us. It didn't have to be a documentary for me to learn about Navajo culture or
00:16:58
Speaker
or like their spiritual connection to like certain animals and what that means. I felt like she kind of sprinkled it around for us. And so on the way I was like learning so much, particularly like a puberty ceremony, which is like, I'm going to have to grind corn for four days. Yeah. Yeah. That sounded like wild, but also like, um, what was I going to say? Like, like you mentioned earlier, I feel like it was a great,
00:17:23
Speaker
way to like learn about that culture. Because like you said, I didn't know about the owl being a bad symbol either until I saw this movie. And like, you know, you don't mess with certain certain things or animals or the different ways to handle things like to show respect or reverence. And it was it was nice being able to like learn in that capacity.
00:17:48
Speaker
Yeah. And through it all, I think one of the threads that really stuck out to me is there's been all of this effort, various elements, whether it's just the government and the way that they've dealt with the reservation, the drugs that have been brought in, the fact that there's no jobs. There's all of these things that have been used to really
00:18:18
Speaker
break these people, but their tradition survives. In spite of it, their tradition is thriving. Because when you just hammer people all the time, the natural thing is for them to just fall apart. But it's almost like they found some kind of hope in
00:18:41
Speaker
in like even in the surroundings that they are because the reservation you just see it like there's nothing there it's just desert like you can't see anything growing but they still manage to keep their tradition keep their values even somebody who's like collecting dead bodies up the road still won't go beyond a certain point because again their spiritualism
00:19:04
Speaker
and their understanding of like certain things that are impactful in their culture, it just like stops them from doing certain things, right? Right, yeah. Whereas like Nasuni is like, oh, it's just like, it's just not a battle. And then it's just whatever, and toss it up. And then five minutes later, there's a crash, you know? And so it's just, you know, it's such an important thing that the director that they're showing us that
Community Support and Acceptance Themes
00:19:33
Speaker
these people are not broken like they there's a humanity there right um so yeah i i really admired that and like um kind of speaking of that humanity is the way that like she shows that this is like a really tight knit community and like all the characters i thought the way that um the movie was able to like
00:19:56
Speaker
weave all of their narratives together so that they all like everybody's actions and like kind of progress like affects everybody else's and it's really beautiful to see it like kind of culminate at the end with the sunrise like ceremony that they do yeah it was just like um i got teary-eyed like when um i didn't start it happening i was like oh my gosh this is there was there was definitely multiple parts where like there wasn't a dry eye in the room just because
00:20:24
Speaker
Just like, for example, one of my favorite parts is the two interactions with Grandpa Pinto and Felicia. Like when he when she first learns that when he first learns that she's going to do this calendar thing, and then he talks about this star that turned out to be an airplane, which is like one of my favorite dialogues I've ever heard. But all to teach this lesson about, you know,
00:20:50
Speaker
you know, what we think we want and what we want is like, oh, what we're given is going to be very different by kind of preparing her for failure or just preparing her to be disappointed. But that moment in the room where she's like packing to go to New York. Oh, oh, my God. Yeah. Oh, yeah. I still I'm like, I'm just going to OK.
00:21:12
Speaker
That was very emotional, that love and acceptance. And she was looking for it outside of the home, but it was always there. And then the other moment that literally got me, it got me was, and there's no dialogue whatsoever, is after that whole conversation with her grandpa, she goes into the kitchen with Grandma Pinto.
00:21:36
Speaker
And starts me and grandma and you could tell like that was the first time she's done that. Yeah. And grandma just like acknowledges and she does this thing with her face. She's like, and I was like, stop it, please stop. I can't take any more. Such great performances. We need to talk about such a scene even when she enters and you see that like when she's like debating about like which hair dye to use before she goes to New York and stuff.
00:22:01
Speaker
And her friend Eugene is like, oh, you're better as a brunette. Like even that little touch. I mean, it was bad advice, but like not probably the right thing to say. The terrible advice was not invested at all. Oh, Eugene. Um, but it was kind of a nice way to show that like, she kind of went back to her roots and like a literal and metaphor expense when she walked back into that kitchen to like cook with her grandma and like, it was beautiful. Yeah.
00:22:30
Speaker
Yeah, and I just think, I mean, we love to see acceptance of LGBTQIA, all of the letters. And like, that's one of my biggest fear in watching films that depict, you know, the community is that
00:22:46
Speaker
I really, you know, like usually just ends in tragedy or lack of acceptance. It's already kicked out of the house and to be able to, you know, and these are spiritual people. And, you know, clearly there's like something to that right in the way that they accept this person because to them, her her spirit is still there.
00:23:07
Speaker
So it doesn't matter what shape she's in, what body she embodies basically. She is still their grandchild. And that is just such a beautiful message and a beautiful way for parents who are maybe starting this journey to kind of
00:23:27
Speaker
experience. And yeah, like you say, the the culmination of like, all of these characters coming together, because at the end of the day, it is a tribe, right? Right. And, and like, that was that's the story is that they survive as a tribe, they come together as a tribe, no matter what's going on, no matter what their struggles are, the tribe is there. Yeah. To love them, to accept them, to protect them. And it's just
00:24:08
Speaker
So let let me ask you this like what was your favorite favorite part of the movie? Oh, okay. Well, I really enjoyed what I really loved I was moved by
00:24:23
Speaker
both of Felicia's conversations with her grandfather as well, especially the second one right before she leaves to New York. That one really got me. This is just such an open and like honest and just really beautiful example of like acceptance and just being like, you know, your home is here for you. And like, we, we will always love you and accept you, which is incredible. Wherever you go. Yes, I know. It felt, it felt very Disney. It did, it did. But it also, yeah, it felt very Disney and like,
00:24:53
Speaker
What a relief and what a gift of like, um, a movie because like earlier, um, what is it? Uh, the whole party scene. I was so scared something was going to happen to her. Oh God, me too. But so being that like kind of avoided in this really beautiful way was fantastic. And, um, trying to think about the other sequence that I liked the best. Um, I actually,
00:25:19
Speaker
You know, this was actually, it was stressful, but I did like the way that I was shot and stuff. Um, when sick boy was riding in the car with his friends and the, one of his friends was like, well, which like gun would you use if you were doing this like robbery and like the way he's able to break down, like his reasoning and stuff was like,
00:25:40
Speaker
It was intense, but it was also like, oh, this turned into like a Scorsese movie for a minute, or like this turned into like a ice movie for a second. Yeah, it did. It did definitely attribute to Scorsese, but also just kind of depicting that he is smart, like he is intelligent, and it's like a shame to see that kind of wasted in that scenario.
00:26:03
Speaker
Right. Like he's able to put this logic together. And what is it being used for to determine whether there's going to be like one gun to use in the robbery and not it even speaking a sick boy.
00:26:17
Speaker
There must be something so, I don't know what the word is, but can you imagine making the decision, like you're at rock bottom, you're so far at the bottom that you decide to go into the institution that has oppressed your people historically? I know, yeah. Can you just like? Yeah, it was, yeah, with sick boy and also with, um, like, Magione in a way too.
00:26:44
Speaker
Because when she said she wanted to be a missionary in the car ride, I was like, oh my god. I was like, oh. I'm like, girl, no, no, no, no. I was like, oh. Do something else. Run for president. Yeah. It really speaks to how, I don't know, how
00:27:09
Speaker
I guess how embedded that oppression is. Yeah, it's so deep. But you have no choice but to assimilate. And it's constant.
00:27:26
Speaker
consistent, it's everywhere, and the only way out is to assimilate. And it's, and she, that whole movie, that's basically what it says. And it's kind of terrifying, actually it's fully terrifying. It's a horror movie. I consider this a horror movie. Yeah, no, absolutely. Because I could see this being made in any
00:27:53
Speaker
culture that is trying to really break the power of the white institution. I could see this in a hood in Chicago. I could see this in a barrio with Hispanic people. They make it so terrible there that the only way out is to assimilate.
00:28:20
Speaker
And so, you know, this is definitely a story that the, you know, yes, it's about the Navajo reservation, but like in a way, some of the neighborhoods that have grown are a form of reservation, depending on which cultural group you're in in the US. Right. Yeah. And so it's, you can, you can feel a connection to the story. Absolutely. Yeah. It makes me think a lot about how like.
00:28:48
Speaker
Border Patrol can like prey on young people in border towns and offer like these really high paying, affluent jobs. And then they become like kind of ground into the system that is oppressing them. And they don't have a choice because the system is set up that way. And that's awful. So yeah, I totally agree. That is something I was thinking about in regards to both Sequoy and Noshone. It was
00:29:17
Speaker
Yeah. And yeah, I mean, Felicia tries her best to get out of that herself by entering this contest. But, you know, she's turned against by one of her own and it's it's heartbreaking. I did not trust her. No, me either. I saw her. I was like, do not drink anything. She's offering you. I didn't know what was going to happen, but I knew that that she was going to be just like
00:29:46
Speaker
outed and clocked. And it was... It was so sad. Technically, that's like the worst thing that happened. Yeah. Because they could have been way worse stuff that happened. Yeah, absolutely. At the beginning, when that girl deadnamed her, I was like,
00:30:04
Speaker
So use the wrong pronouns. I was like, please stop. So disrespectful. Yeah. It's unnecessary. Like, yeah, I get it. You recognize the person, but at the point where they don't look like the person you knew. Right.
00:30:20
Speaker
I don't know, maybe take a clue. Yeah, absolutely. Like, maybe, you know, take a step back. It's not a competition. There's 12 months in the calendar. Yeah. Very surprising, like, ferocity, like to get on some moves like calendars here. It's like there's room for a lot of people.
00:30:40
Speaker
I know. Yeah. And all these girls came through and she was the one that could speak Navajo. We love to see it. Just, just beautiful. You know, just absolutely beautiful. But you know, we don't know what her story is. Maybe, maybe she went back to be on the calendar. That's my hope. I know. Yeah. You know, I'm just realizing, yeah, they never tied that up. I hope so. Fingers crossed.
00:31:05
Speaker
Fingers crossed. Well, then let me ask you what your overall rating for this movie is. Oh, okay. Um, I think it's just like out of five, I listened to the, um, okay. Um, I would give it like a four, 4.5 probably because it was like,
00:31:26
Speaker
I was with all of the characters all the way. I was so, like, on board, engaged. And I was like, let's go. I'm scared that I'm going to get hurt, but I want to find out what happens to these people. And thankfully, it did such a beautiful job, like we've discussed, of, like, upending all of these, like, kind of pitfalls that, like, Native representation can fall into in media in, like, really beautiful ways and really nuanced ways, too, because
00:31:56
Speaker
Absolutely. Yeah, they're just, you know, like, like in life, there are no like easy answers, but I just really love that the ending felt like right and like felt felt hopeful. Yeah, and ended with like a real sense of like community and like belonging.
00:32:16
Speaker
Yes, all that to say is that we need more of these. Yes. Like I am hungry for more of these stories. I want to learn about just not just the Navajo tribe, but all of
Call for Diverse Native American Films
00:32:28
Speaker
the different tribes. Like there's this like amazing. I think it's native land dot com has this amazing map. Yeah. And you can basically zoom in to your zip code and find out what land you are on.
00:32:41
Speaker
And I just want to hear more of these stories because it's a rich culture. It's a beautiful culture. And Native American Heritage Month is the time to do it. It's the start, but not to stop. Just don't do it for November. Keep going. And I hope that the I'm not relying on Hollywood to tell these stories, but I hope that they can see the impact that it has. It really is a beautiful, raw story from an indie budget.
00:33:10
Speaker
Very well done. Absolutely. The cinematography was stunning. It was stunning. The sunlight and the landscape. More support for Native filmmakers. Absolutely.
00:33:31
Speaker
Well, thank you so much. This was a fantastic discussion. Any final comments you want to make? Maybe to people who haven't seen this, who might be thinking, should I, should I not see it? Yeah, so I would say definitely check this out. It does get a little heavy, but it is worth it. And it is a great way to support like indigenous filmmakers and Indian products. So I would say, yeah, watch it if you can and enjoy.
00:34:00
Speaker
Awesome. Well, thank you, Allie, for chatting with me about this movie. I'm so glad that you found a new movie that you can actually love and support. It's always great to get a different perspective when it comes to films. And so I want to thank everyone who's listening today, and I hope you learned something new. I hope that this made you want to go watch the movie, or if you've already watched it, rewatch it again. But remember, you can subscribe to my podcast and get notified when our next episode drops.
00:34:28
Speaker
So stay tuned, and until next time, this is The Street Police.