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this is super pleasant and charming and delightful. Im a sucker for road movies, but one filled with non-exploitative Cheyenne faith, Dakotan highways, snowcaps, knee-high river chants, busted old cars, small town stop-bys and jailbreaks? count me in. BUT SET AT CHRISTMAS? hellOooOooOoo.

I was reminded of Roadside Prophets while watching this because RP tried to mystify the road and loosely dangle cliched bored american road heroics over its casts head, failing HARD to make it genuine.

Powwow Highway works. The dream of native movement, preservation of beliefs, the idea of putting mythology in a car and making its spirit a horse (!) blends well with the characters quest for freedom, spiritual reconnexion and "tokens". Its a hearty thing and realigns road mythology with who the roads really belong to: the natives.

all about reconnexion baby!

Producing this movie is yet another one of the many reasons why George is the best Beatle 🤞

"I think your car ate the godamned caramel corn!"

Fun road movie, nothing overly original other than being about two native guys. One is on a spiritual journey, the other is on a personal mission. They clash, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant.

The film debut of Wes Studi.

New piece dropping on Vulture soon.

Fun movie, talks about rejection of own culture in the face of assimilation super well

This doesn't have much of a story but more of two characters coming at different angles at there culture to find somewhat of a resolve. I think it's strength is the journey (as most road trips are) but does lack a lot of connective elements but has plot points. The soundtrack was rather a strong part of the film but the ending kinda just finishes with no great symbolism. I think the acting by the main two leads was really good and enjoyed it but maybe I felt it was going for a payoff or a shocker blowout but still a good film.

Absolutely blown away by this film. More soon.

Our mutual friend Chase recommended we watch this one, and I’m so glad we stumbled upon this bit of found money. Whimsical yet sincere, this late-80s road trip odyssey flips every convention and truly stands alone. The different protagonists all have room to grow, none are judged for being imperfect, and we learn from them through their actions more than their words. We get the debut of Wes Studi, a cameo from American Indian Movement member John Trudell, Graham Greene both throws a knife and makes you tear up, and amid all this character actor Gary Farmer steals the show. 

I just watched the SpongeBob movie the other day and the trivia for Powwow Highway tells me the SpongeBob creator based their famous Pizza Delivery episode on this movie where SpongeBob and Squidward go on a road trip!

Have read some criticism of it, and at first, the sad ending/happy ending fake out seemed hilariously abrupt--but on some reflection, despite the naturalism of the director's camera, Gary Farmer popping up cheerfully to declare that he ain't dead, to the shock of his compatriots, followed by 0 repercussions, feels in keeping with the tall-tale quality that exists throughout the film's plot (from a car that clearly shouldn't be running, to the scene where Red Bow takes out a cop car armed only with a plate of windowglass). After all, this is a film that's about, among other things, the importance of storytelling.