In 2016, Kent Nerburn’s novel Neither Wolf Nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder was adapted into Neither Wolf Nor Dog, an independent film that’s been getting accolades from viewers all throughout North America since its release. In the film, which is screening in Victoria next week, Nerburn is invited to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota to meet with an elder named Dan, played by 97-year-old Dave Bald Eagle. Dan and his companion Grover include Nerburn on a journey through Lakota Country in a Buick Electra. Throughout the journey, viewers gain a historical understanding of the Lakota people and a snapshot of their contemporary life and culture. The film’s ratings have outperformed many major motion pictures, and it had a longer theatrical run than any other US movie in 2017.
“The story behind this film is a great story because Dave is so unique, and the film is shot incredibly quickly on a tiny budget in the middle of nowhere,” says director Steven Lewis Simpson. “I’m still scratching my head over how it’s all panned out. It’s so unlikely.”
The enormous success surrounding this small, self-distributed film suggests that maybe people are getting bored of the traditional blockbuster model, which often feels emotionless; when speaking to its success, Simpson attributes the film’s success to emotional reaction.
“People are voting with their heart, and they’re voting on how it makes them feel, what Dave Bald Eagle makes them feel, and the emotional journeys they went on,” he says. “You can have something that is a genius piece of art for art’s sake but doesn’t touch anyone, so how great can it be?”
Bald Eagle’s portrayal of Dan is earnest and full-bodied; his compelling performance and expressive face is certain to impact viewers.
“The great thing about creating characters is that it can bridge a lot of gulfs within the world, and you get to understand different kinds of human beings,” says Simpson. “That’s the wonderful thing that we do in this film, with bringing the audience in to experience this wonderful character of an elder, but the wonderful thing about it is that we’ve taken this much-loved character in a novel and we’ve taken it to a whole new level, because it’s played by David Bald Eagle, who is sort of more spectacular for the role than anyone we’ve ever dreamed for. He’s taken it to a whole new place and by using him as the vessel for the audience it’s opened a lot of peoples’ eyes and hearts to a different part of the world.”
Neither Wolf Nor Dog
7 pm and 11 pm, Tuesday November 13
$7.75, Cinecenta
cinecenta.com