Institute History
Description
Hunter is a mixed-blood Cherokee hemophiliac growing up with one of the worst cases of blood identity crisis Oklahoma's ever seen. Named Hunter, a metaphor for his own coming-of-age, he must prove himself a young man according to culture and his father's standards. When he mistakenly shoots a female deer rather than a buck, he is marked for it and forever lives in a fantasy of authenticating his young manhood. The forest becomes a refuge for him, a place to gather strength and adhere to the nuance of tradition. With the support of his Cherokee grandfather, brilliantly portrayed by Gordon Tootoosis, he learns there is a difference between hunting and killing. He also learns about love.
Randy Redroad's filmmaking reflects a sweet and defiant profile of family and culture, true to the humor and irony of Oklahoma Indians. Hunter, played by Festival-returning James Duval \*(SLC Punk, All Fucked Up)\**, grows up challenged by cross-cultural and small-town antics with his saving graces being his own determination, the blessing of his grandfather, and the possibilities of true love. Redroad's previous short films \*(Haircuts Hurt, High Horse)\** and his debut feature, The Doe Boy, contribute to a definitive and new Native American cinema that is not limited by notions of stoicism, wayward spiritualism, or the perfect buckshot.