Zach Tescher

This is one of the best movies that I have ever seen. There are lots of reasons why, but three stand out the most. 1. The story. The Canadian assimilation of indigenous children is a great story, for starters. You can bring out elements of culture, nature, and combine those with modern ideals that we know today. The story of Saul, however, goes beyond that. It starts as a passion, but it grows into so much more. It eventually spans beyond his school and into his culture and eventually leads him into a downwards spiral, which caught me off guard because most sports films are just a success story. However, this is much better than simply a success story. 2. The characters. This movie contains no star actors, none of the big names that you see on billboards. However, each character is truly its own being, no one's just filling in cracks in the society that Indian Horse has built. Saul switches from a strict environment to a laid back one, and then to an environment with a healthy mix of both. The characters really help to support those environments and it wouldn't be the same without them. 3. The details. The details are really the best part of Indian Horse. Some of the most compelling and impactful scenes came from little details that were slipped in by the directors. One of my favorite scenes was when one of the girls killed themselves (no im not a psychopath i swear). However, the detail was something that I really came to enjoy. The background music was "Silent Night" and the gril began to bang her head against the cage at "holy infant so tender and mild" and the sister discovers that she killed herself at "sleep in heavenly peace." I'm not a christian, but I understood what was done, and it felt like a kick to the stomach. Anyway, watch the movie.