SKINS (2002)

Director: Chris Eire

Year of production: 2002

Actors: Eric Schweig, Graham Greene,Noah Watts

I watched the trailer of this movie few years ago for the first time on youtube. It attracted me so much, so I decided to buy the original DVD from Amazon because I couldn't find the movie streaming on the web.

This movie is now available on youtube, but at that time I had to wait almost a month because the DVD shipped to my house in Italy directly from USA.

Chris Eire is the director. Eric Schweig (The gorgeous Uncas from “The Last of the Mohicans”) and Graham Greene (Kicking Birds from “Dance with Wolves”) are the two main characters: all the movie is set on the Pine Ridge reservation, South Dakota. If you have watched the movie “Thunderheart”  (set in Pine Ridge as well) you may also remember what this place is called by the agent Frank Coutelle, friend with  Ray Levoi (Val Kilmer):

“This is the third world in America”

A native american director (Chrys Eire are a member of Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes), a story with only native american actors in an native american world which can help the spectator to make a leap forward: with the movies of traditional american cinema usually a white “ambassador” (a white protagonist) brings the spectator in the indian's world. As depicted with the soldier John Dunbar in “Dance with wolves”, Katy and Honus in “Soldier blue”, Tom Jefford in “Broken arrow” and also Ray Levoi in "Thunderheart". In movies like “Skins”, made by a indian director, with indian actors in an indian place, you are directly projected in the indian world, without any filters.

This is the main reason of why I consider Indian independent cinema  so attractive.

“Skins” is a movie about the relationship between two brothers and about the sad reality of Indian people today in reservations. Rudy (Schweig) is a policeman on the rez, his everyday work-life includes the violence and the sadness of his people. Chrys Eire shows in “Skins” all the crude violence of Pine Ridge that comes from Indian despair : a husband who beats his wife in front of their baby, two men (Michael Spears and Tokala Clifford) who kill a friend and the big problem of the alcohlism that perpetually destroys the life of Indians. In addition the Rudy's brother, Moogie (Greene), is also an alcoholic with a lot of psychological problems from his past experiences, including being a soldier in Vietnam.

Rudy is a strong man with a deep sensitivity, this is the reason that he can't absorb all this without any consequence. His reaction is totally negative: Rudy wants to have revenge and for this and he uses illegal means, like beating the men responsible for the death of the sales guy, and lighting a fire at the alcohol shop (Whiteclay, a place where the economy is dependent on alcohol sales, while in Pine Ridge it is prohibited) which improves the alcoholism situation in the Rez. One of the main rules in life is that self-revenge is not a good solution, especially if you use violence for expressing your rage: Moogie, who stayed on the roof to try and steal some bottles, goes to hospital with a severe burn, especially on the face.

Rudy's remorse is large, but this will eventually help the two brothers to start a new improved relationship, better than it was before.
The movie contains a lot of details from the Indian world, like the Indian point of view about  Rushmore mountain (They consider it like a symbol of their oppression). The red tear on  Washington' s face made by Rudy when he pours a paint bucket on the monument, can be a symbol of the white consciousness that, finally, has recognized the Indian suffering. 

I appreciated a lot in this movie. I think it can be a good answer for a a common question that many European people have on their minds: How are Native American people living today in reservations?

The answer can be that they live like they do in Skins.

Another reason I appreciated this movie is because it is an independent movie, so it is very different from the classic style of american cinema. The choice to describe the feelings and emotions of the characters make it more similar to European cinema, with a deep and complicated core.