LITTLE CHIEF | Omeleto
49,335
Published 2021-02-15
LITTLE CHIEF is used with permission from Erica Tremblay. Learn more at erica-tremblay.com/.
Sharon, a young teacher at a school on a Native American reservation, is dedicated to her job and her students in the most deprived of circumstances, even snagging toilet paper from other businesses' restrooms for the school.
But though she cares for her students and school, the work is emotionally draining. But Sharon must dig deep when the most isolated of her students, Bear, needs her the most.
Written and directed by Native American filmmaker Erica Tremblay, this short drama -- which was a selection at Sundance in 2020 -- is a thoughtful, resonant portrait of a relationship between a teacher and student. Offering a snapshot of modern Native American life, it gently captures its strained economic poverty, but it's also a quietly moving story of what it truly means to make a difference in a young person's life.
"Making a difference" is a theme that's often the stuff of tidy, didactic MOVIE OF THE WEEK stories. But the visuals have the feel of an observational documentary and pay intimate, non-judgmental attention to the characters and their world. Pared-down images and an austere naturalism are deployed with great thought and intelligence to put us in the headspace of its strained, weary teacher.
The storytelling and writing are equally as spare, with brief, laconic dialogue and close attention paid to gestures and silence. Sharon's detachment and exhaustion with her students are presented with a certain matter-of-fact understanding, and the story's small, ordinary moments are rich with finely observed details.
In such a spare, almost austere film, performances become an important point of connection for an audience, even as they exist in such a quiet artistic approach. Actor Lily Gladstone plays Sharon with extraordinary honesty and restraint, and isn't afraid to show how embattled and almost rote-like someone can feel in the tiring, draining everyday battles of a teacher trying to do a thankless job with very little support or resources. But when her most challenged student hits a breaking point, she gets a reminder of just how important she is to her students.
Building off the director's experiences of growing up in Oklahoma with her Native schoolteacher mother, LITTLE CHIEF is an exploration of modern Native American life. It's also a tribute to the resilience of teachers, who do a job many say is important, but are rarely provided with resources, power or even appreciation.
Their intrepid commitment in the face of sometimes overwhelming odds is captured here with an unsentimental, unvarnished story of great subtlety and beauty -- one that refuses cheap and easy heroism, instead showing what it means to show up, day after day, in the face of grim realities.
All Comments (20)
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i'm so happy for her! she is finally getting the recognition she deserves! i'm rooting for her! she's gonna get that academy award for best actress!!!
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you should know we failed school when teacher have to provide school supplies. At first i thought she is taking for her but then woww.
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I wonder what rez this was filmed on? Reminds me of growing up in northern NM. Same conditions, same economic poverty. I wish we funded schools like we fund these wars.
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Teachers (and staff), turning a blind eye to bullying within the school system is a major part of why it continues. Cut it at the root! Yes, it can be exhausting to address every single issue...but that’s part of the job! Do it!
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Be the reason someone smiles today. It's good to help; You might be the only one who does.
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I think showing the contrast between the opulence of the casino and the disparity of the school/average person on the same reservation was very deliberate. That casino could absolutely invest some of it's millions back into the native community. If the wealthy owners took even a small pay cut, that money could change the lives of the reservation people trapped in generational poverty.
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My heart aches for Bear.
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Lily Gladstone! Absolutely wonderful woman, this was a great short
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Why did she only punish his actions to being tormented? The instigator should have been made to help him. Better yet the instigator should have been called out and stopped! What am I missing here?
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Wanted more of this film.The acting,and music was great.Thanks.
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Look up the Residential Schools in Canada....America is not the only one who did bad by the Natives.
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This was a great short!! Well done everyone! Lily, you continue to show exquisite acting ability!
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I didn't like how the teacher allowed the poor kid to be bullied
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Men im trying to quit smoking , why does every single video i whatched today has someone compulsively smoking xD
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I could watch a full feature with these characters!
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Just saw Killers of the Flower Moon, and I had to see more of Gladstone, she's so amazing.
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Liked it...lily Gladstone is a fine actress....this could've stretched out a bit more,wondering what happens next...👍👍👍
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I LOVE LOVE LOVE Lily Gladstone in EVERYTHING SHES DONE. I'm from Muskogee OK i can't wait to see KOTFM and
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lily gladstone what an artist you are. looking foward to seeing your name everywhere. a star of pure talent.
