The Lakota Woman
"Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee" with its focus on Mary Crow Dog is a well thought out movie which at times almost feels like a biopic. That biopic feel comes during the build up as we are introduced to the young Mary and we learn all about her experiences growing up as she is taught the history of the Lakota people by her grandfather. But at the same time we learn that when she is sent to St. Tristan's catholic school they try and rob her of her identity, banning her from wearing braids and so on. We also learn that she was expelled from school when after reading an article on her people she sets about copying it and distributing it to other Native Indian children thrown into white schools.
There are plenty more of these biopic elements from discovering her mother living with a white man to ending up in a prison cell all of which is accompanied by Mary's narration, her emotions and simmering anger at the time. It all works to create a picture of who Mary Crow Dog was before it gets to the 71 day siege at Wounded Knee. When it gets to the siege it tackles it in the same solid way that the build up is dealt with and we get to see the events which built to the trouble as well as how the trouble played out.
Now that makes "Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee" an interesting movie because instead of just dramatizing events it gives us someone to connect with as we are lead through them. And Irene Bedard is well cast as Mary because she brings across the various layers of her character from as a teenager going through a rebellious stage to being an activist for her people. Bedard also brings out the fragility but also the strength of the character and all of this combines to drawing us into her story and that of the Siege at Wounded Knee whilst understanding the perspective of the Lakota people.
But "Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee" is not without its problems and whilst it gives us a glimpse at everything it often feels little more than a mention and we never get the detail. This is down to "Lakota Woman" ending up a TV movie with more constraints than a big budget movie and so whilst informative sometimes lacks the natural flow, depth and progression that the story deserves.
What this all boils down to is that "Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee" is a well thought out and interesting movie which tells two stories; that of a woman and then the siege. But "Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee" suffers from constraints which makes it feel bitty, failing to flow naturally.
