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Cast entirely with first-time actors and set in
the sovereign lands of the Oglala Lakota in South Dakota, the
movie follows the setbacks and triumphs of 12-year old Matho,
played by LaDainian Crazy Thunder and Bill, 23, played by Jojo
Bapteise Whiting.
“It started with us making a film with our friends,” Keough told
Reuters of a project with roots going back to 2015 when Keough
met Bill Reddy and Franklin Sioux Bob, who were working as
extras on the movie set of “American Honey”.
She bonded with the pair and, along with Gammell, suggested they
tell stories about their lives through a film.
“How to collaborate responsibly between communities ... sort of
became our mission,” said Keough, describing a process that
included writing workshops, improvisation sessions and meeting
hundreds of people to build a local cast.
“These are not subjects of a film, they are our very close, dear
friends and family at this point.”
Sioux Bob, meanwhile, hopes the movie can also be a catalyst for
change.
“This story is a Native story told by actual Native voices. I
hope this can be a project that breaks down doors,” he said.
The film’s showing in the “Un Certain Regard" category at Cannes
carried extra resonance for Keough, with the forthcoming
premiere of Baz Luhrmann’s film about her grandfather, Elvis
Presley, also at the festival, she said.
“I think that everything kind of happens for a reason,” Keough
said, adding that she thought Luhrmann did “an incredible job
telling our story, our family story”.
(Reporting by Hanna Rantala; Writing by Mimosa Spencer; Editing
by David Goodman)
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