Makwa, a young Anishinaabe boy, has a rough life. He often appears at school with bruises he says he got falling down, but no one believes him. He and his only friend, Ted-O, like to escape by playing in the woods, until the day Makwa shockingly murders a schoolmate. After covering up the crime, the two boys go on to live very different lives. Now, as adult men, they must face the truth of what they have done and what they have become.
In his feature debut, writer/director Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr. (Shinaab and Shinaab, Part II, 2017 and 2019 Sundance Film Festivals) tells a story that spans centuries and the continent in a film destined to be a touchstone in Indigenous cinema. Leading an impressive cast, Michael Greyeyes delivers a gripping, enigmatic performance as a modern Native American man who has done terrible, unforgivable things. With a strong and compelling visual style that evokes both fascination and dread, Wild Indian considers the cost of survival in a world as cruel as our own.
Synopsis :
Two men learn to confront a traumatic secret they share involving the savage murder of a schoolmate.
Wild Indian (USA)
Written and directed by Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.
Produced by Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr., Thomas Mahoney, Eric Tavitian
Executive Producers : Céline Dornier, Frédéric Fiore, Raphael Margules, J.D. Lifshitz, Adam Margules, Katy Drake Brettner, Joel Michaely, Niraj Bhatia, Adriana Banta, Jake Carter, Jesse Eisenberg, Heather Rae, Brent Green, Lesli Masoner, Dan McClung
Starring Michael Greyeyes, Chaske Spencer, Jesse Eisenberg, Kate Bosworth, Phoenix Wilson, Julian Gopal
Music by Gavin Brivik
Production Designer : Jonathan Guggenheim
Cinematography : Eli Born
Edited by Ed Yonaitis, Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.
Distributed by 30WEST/Endeavor Content (http://30west.com)
Release date : January 30, 2021 (Sundance)
Running time : 90 minutes
Premiere : jan. 30 - 9:00pm // Second screening : feb. 1 - 4:00pm (local time)
(Source : press release)