The Story Teller
Grandpa Pete Chasing Horse (August Schellenberg) is getting on in years and he feels his time is soon to be over. As such he wants to make the trip to the All Nations Pow Wow in Albuquerque one last time and wants his grandson Shane (Eddie Spears) to drive him there, something which Shane is not overly keen on. But with people after him over money Shane agrees to drive him despite it being a trip which will take a long time to make. It is on this trip that Grandpa starts telling Shane many of the stories which have been passed down from one generation to another.
I actually believe that all directors should take an afternoon off and watch "DreamKeeper" a made for TV movie. I say that because the basis of "DreamKeeper" are a series of stories and it is the telling of the stories which they should pay attention to because a movie which lacks a story or struggles to tell it is only ever half a movie. That doesn't sound right I know but when you get lavish special effects or over the top action it is not enough and a well told story is worth so much more when trying to engage your audience in what is going on.
Now I am going to cheat a bit here because whilst in "DreamKeeper" we have the story of Shane and his problems driving his Grandpa to the Pow Wow the real focus are the series of stories all of which have a deeper meaning which makes them so engaging. From young love to falling in love with Thunder there is a rich mix and they are all so brilliantly told. But they are also incredibly visual with some surprisingly power special effects to create a fantasy landscape. It is extremely hard to describe and very much a movie which has to be experienced to appreciate it.
What this all boils down to is that "DreamKeeper" is a movie which has to be experienced as it is a collection of old Indian stories all told in a visual manner but all has a deeper meaning which makes them so fascinating.
