All language subtitles for Smoke_Signals_(1998).moon.ShareReactor

Good morning.

This is Randy Peone on KREZ Radio...

the voice of the Coeur d'A lene
Indian Reservation...

and it's time for the morning
traffic report on this rainy
bicentennial Fourth of July.

Let's go out to Lester Fallsapart
in the KREZ traffic van...

broken down
at the Crossroads.

Big truck
just went by.

Now it's gone.

Well, there you go, folks.
Looks like another busy morning.

And I just got a news bulletin that says
Matty and John Builds-the-Fire...

are hosting a Fourth of July party
at their house.

And remember,
it's B.Y.O.F.:

"Bring your own fireworks."

On the Fourth of July, 1976...

my mother and father celebrated
white people's independence...

by holding
the largest house party...

in Coeur d'A lene
tribal history.

I mean, every Indian
in the world was there.

And then at
3:00 in the mornin'. ..

after everyone had passed out
or fallen asleep...

on couches, on chairs...

on beds, on the floor...

a fire rose up like
General George Armstrong Custer...

and swallowed up
my mother and father.

I don't remember that fire.

I only have the stories.

And in every one of those stories,
I could fly.

I was just a baby when Arnold
Joseph saved me from that fire...

and delivered me
into the hands of my grandmother.

Arnold!
What happened?

What happened?

And Victor Joseph
was just a baby too...

when his father
saved me from that fire.

You know, there are some children
who aren't really children at all.

They're just pillars of flame
that burn everything they touch.

And there are some children
who are just pillars of ash...

that fall apart
if you touch 'em.

Me and Victor... we were
children born of flame and ash.

Arlene...

your son's name
is Victor, and l--

Yes, it is.

It's a good name.

It means he's gonna win...

ain't it?

I don't know.

You saved my grandson's life.

Well, it was nothin'. l--

I didn't even think about it.
I just--

You saved Thomas.

You did a good thing.

I didn't mean to.

[ Thomas Narrating ]
After that fire...

Arnold Joseph mourned
by cuttin' his hair...

and he never
grew it long again.

For years after that
he threatened to vanish.

He practiced vanishing.

Until one day, he jumped
into his yellow pickup...

and did vanish.

[ Randy ] Good morning.
This is Randy Peone on KREZ Radio.

That's K-R-E-Z Radio, the voice
of the Coeur d'A lene Indian Reservation.

And Coeur d'A lene people,
our reservation
is beautiful this morning.

It's a good day
to be indigenous.

It's 45 degrees
in the sun...

it's 8:00 a.m., Indian time,
in 1998...

and it's time
for the morning traffic report.

For that let's go to Lester Fallsapart
at the KREZ traffic van...

broken down
at the Crossroads since 1972.

So Lester, how's traffic
out there this fine morning?

A couple of cars
went by earlier.

You know old Mrs. Joe?
She was speeding.

And, uh,
Kimmy and James, uh...

they went by in a yellow
car, and they were arguin'.

- Ain't no traffic really.
- [ Randy ] There you go, folks.

Looks like nobody's getting to work
on time this morning.

As for you school kids, you'd better
hurry up and eat those Wheaties...

because the first bell
rang 15 minutes ago.

Hey, Victor!

[ Man ]
Come on.

Come on.

- You ain't got it!
Three-point range! - Yo!

[ Man ]
Game point, cuz!

Bring it on, Victor.
Bring it on.

Foul!

I said, foul.

- It's foul.
- Bullshit.

I was nowhere
near you.

If I say it's a foul,
it's a foul.

Hey, Thomas.
Give us some help, huh?

Nice suit, Thomas.
[ Laughs ]

[ Man ]
Sheesh.

Victor!

Hey, Victor, what do
you know about fire?

- Thomas, I don't know
what you're talking about.
- No, really, Victor.

I mean, did you know
things burn in colors?

I mean,
sodium burns yellow...

and carbon burns orange,
just like that.

Hey, Victor, heard your dad's living
in Phoenix, Arizona, now.

Man, he's lived everywhere
since he left you, huh?

Is that so, Thomas?

You know,
I was wondering, Thomas.

What color do you think your mom
and dad were when they burned up?

You know,
your dad ain't comin' back.

- Yes, he is.
- No.

He's gone. When Indians go away,
they don't come back.

Last of the Mohicans,
last of Winnebago, last of--

Hey, shut up, Thomas,
or I'll beat you up again.

[ Victor]
Oh, I took the ball to the hoop

And what did I see

- Oh, I took the ball to the hoop
- [ Other Men Join In ]

And what did i see

General George Armstrong Custer
was a-guardin' me

A-guardin' me

Hey, Victor, who do you think
is the greatest basketball player ever?

That's easy: Geronimo.

Geronimo? He couldn't
play basketball, man.

He was Apache, man.
Those suckers are about three feet tall.

lt's Geronimo, man.
He was lean, mean and bloody.

He would've dunked on your
flat lndian ass and cut it off.

Yeah, some days
it's a good day to die.

Some days, it's a good day
to play basketball.

Hey, Victor.

What about your dad?

What about him?

- Hello?
- Hello? My name is Suzy Song.

Uh, l've got bad news.
Arnold Joseph passed away.

l'm his neighbor
here in Phoenix.

His stuff is still in his trailer,
and his pickup's here.

[ Sighs ]
l think somebody should come get it.

l'm making arrangements for him.
l'll call again.

Thank you for phoning.

What?

- Can you cash this? lt's from my mom.
- Mm-hmm.

Hey, Victor!

l'm sorry about your dad.

How'd you hear about it?

l heard it on the wind.
l heard it from the birds.

l felt it in the sunlight.

And your mom
was just in here cryin'.

Listen, Thomas, l gotta go.
l got things to do.

Victor!

Your mom said
she only had 40 bucks.

That ain't enough money
to get you to Phoenix.

- l can help, you know.
- Help what?

I... I have some money.

l can help.

Listen, Thomas.
l can't take your money.

So why don't you go buy a car
or something? Anything.

But just leave me alone, okay?

Go find a woman.

l can get you
to Phoenix!

Okay, so you can
get me to Phoenix.

But what do you get
out of the deal?

You have to take me with you.

[ Chuckles ]
You're funny.

Victor, look at this!
Ain't it cool?

Here.

Nah, you keep it.

Hey, Thomas!

You'd better get home.

Your grandma lookin' for you.

Check this out.

But it's right there
in your ear, see?

Go ahead, take it.

Hello?
Hello?

Happy lndependence Day,
Victor.

You feelin'
independent today?

l'm feelin' independent.

l'm feelin' extra magical today,
like l could make anything disappear.

Houdini with braids,
you know?

Poof. Wave my hand,
and poof.

The white people are gone...

gone back to where they belong.

Poof.

London, Paris, Moscow.

Poof! Poof! Poof!
[ Chuckles ]

Wave my hand
and the reservation is gone.

The trading post
and the post office.

The tribal school
and the pine trees.

And the drunks.

The Catholics
and the drunk Catholics. Poof!

And all the little lndian boys
named Victor!

l'm so good, l could
make myself disappear.

Poof.

And l'm gone.

[ Chuckles ]
Here, give me that beer.

- Look what you did!
- [ Groaning ]

Just quit your cryin'.
l didn't hit you that hard.

Go in the house.
Tell your mama l'll be right in.

Did you cash the check?

Yeah.

That's all the money l got.

l know.

Oh, this damn arthritis.

Hurtin' bad today, ain't it?

Nah.

[ Woman ]
l don't trust him, you know?

He's mean to you.

He wasn't always mean.

You know, Thomas said
he'll give me the money...

but he wants
to go with me.

You know, people always told me
l make the best fry bread in the world.

Maybe it's true.

But l don't make it
by myself, you know.

l got the recipe
from your grandmother...

and she got it
from her grandmother.

And l listen to people
when they eat my bread.

You know, they might say, uh,
"Arlene... there's too much flour."

Or, "Arlene... you should
knead your dough some more."

l listen to them.

And l watch that Julia Child
all the time.

She's a good cook too,
but she gets lots of help.

So, do you think
l should go with Thomas?

That's your decision.

But if you go, l want you
to promise me you'll come back.

- Come on, Mom.
- Promise me!

[ Chuckles ] Geez. Want me
to sign a paper or somethin'

No way. You know how lndians
feel about signing papers.

[ Victor ] Okay, Thomas, l need
the money, and you can come with me...

but l have a few rules.

First of all, you can't
wear that stupid suit.

And secondly, l don't want
you tellin' me a million
of your damn stories.

And third, we're goin' right there
and comin' right back.

Good morning. This is
Randy Peone on KREZ Radio...

and l just got a news
bulletin here that says...

Frenchy Sidejohn won $5,000
last night playing bingo.

l want to congratulate
Frenchy...

and all those used car dealers
in Spokane are eagerly awaiting
your arrival.

lt's 7:35 a.m., lndian time,
and time for the weather report.

Lester here. One of the clouds
up there looks like a horse.

And the other one
looks like, uh--

You know that, um, tavern
we used to go, the log one?

And that waitress there?
Hola. Looks like her.

[ Randy ]
Well, there you have it...

from tribal meteorologist
Lester Fallsapart.

And l just received a request
from lrvin in DeSmet.

He wants to hear
a sad song.

Oh, man!

l love this song!

- Geez, you love every song.
- No, no. l mean it.

I really love this song.

Geez, l'm thirsty.

Give me a beer.

Hey, girl,
we don't drink no more.

- Remember?
- That's right, ain't it?

Well, give me a Coke.

There you go,
Lucy-goosey.

Have a Coke, eh?

Hey, watch where
you're goin'! Geez!

l am watchin'
where l'm goin'.

Hey, that's Victor
and Thomas.

Hey.

Hey, Victor,
sorry to hear about your dad.

- You need a ride?
- Oh, yeah.

Hey, Thomas.
Need a ride?

- You bet.
- What are you gonna trade for it?

We're lndians, remember?
We barter.

- A story.
- Better be good.

Better be good.

Durin' the '60s, Arnold Joseph
was the perfect hippie...

because all the hippies were
tryin' to be lndians anyway.

But because of that, he was always
wonderin' how anybody would know...

when an lndian was tryin'
to make a social statement.

But there's proof, you know.

Back durin' the Vietnam War,
he was demonstratin' against it...

and there was
this photographer there.

He took a picture of Arnold that day,
and it made it onto the wire services...

and was reprinted in newspapers
throughout the country.

lt even made it to the cover
of Time magazine.

ln that photograph, Arnold is wearin'
bell-bottoms and a flowered shirt...

his hair in braids,
with red peace symbols...

splashed across his face
like war paint.

He holds a rifle above his head,
captured in that moment...

just before he proceeded
to beat the shit out of...

the National Guard private
lyin' on the ground beneath him.

Another demonstrator holds
a sign,

just barely visible
over his left shoulder.

lt reads:
"Make love, not war."

Geez. Did your dad
really do that?

Thomas, you're so full of shit.

[ Lucy ]
Oh, then what happened?

Arnold got arrested, you know.
But he got lucky.

At first they charged him
with attempted murder...

but then they plea-bargained

that
down to assault with a deadly weapon.

And then they plea-bargained
that down to bein' an lndian
in the twentieth century.

- Then he got two years in Walla Walla.
- [ Girls Sigh ]

So, what do you think?

Well...

l think it's a fine example
of the oral tradition.

- You two guys got your passports?
- Passports?

Yeah. You're leavin' the res...

and goin' into a whole
different country, cousin.

But it's the United States.

Damn right, it is. That's
as foreign as it gets.

Hope you two
got your vaccinations.

Bye, Victor!

[ Thomas ]
Hey, Victor.

Remember that dog that
used to live over there?

That dog that fell in love
with that cat?

Old Lady Harrison,
she used to tie that dog up, but--

lmagine if they had a baby.

lt wouldn't know whether
it was a cog or a dat. [ Chuckles ]

Get it, Victor?

Hey, are you sure about this?
lt's a lot of money.

Yeah, l'm sure.
Are you sure?

Damn right,
l'm sure.

Ah, get on the bus.

- l have to ask.
- No, Thomas.

Hey, you're pretty flexible.

Are you a gymnast or somethin'

l was an alternate
on the 1980 Olympic team.

Geez, l wish
l could do that.

Well, it's pretty easy.
Try it.

[ Giggles ]
No way!

- Hey, you're-- you're an lndian, right?
- Yeah.

l'm Thomas,
and this is Victor.

We're Coeur d'A lene lndians.

l'm Cathy.
l'm from Mississippi.

Nice suit.

Thanks.

[ Cathy ]
l don't mean to brag...

but l was every bit
as good as Mary Lou.

ln 1984 l tried out again...

and Mary Lou
beat me that time...

but l had grown, you know?

Oh! Those little people!
They get all the attention.

Me? l put my whole life

into makin' the Olympics...

then Jimmy Carter
took it away.

Geez. You gymnasts got a lot in common
with us lndians then, ain't it?

Hey. Hi.

You said you were an alternate
for the team, right?

- Yeah.
- Well...

if you were an alternate,
then you'd only compete...

if somebody was hurt
or something, right?

- Yeah.
- Was anybody hurt?

-No.

Then you really weren't
on the team, were you?

l mean, it didn't really matter
if there was a boycott or not.

You were stayin' home anyways.

You ain't got nothin'
to complain about...

so why don't you
just be quiet?

What'd you do that for?
She was nice.

Nice, my ass.
She was a liar.

- No, she wasn't .
- Yes, she was. Think about it, Thomas.

What would a big-shot Olympic
gymnast be doing on a bus?

- Answer me that, Thomas.
- l don't know.

You know, Thomas, you
really need to grow up.

Don't you know anything?
People are awful.

They'll rob you blind
if you ain't watching.

Where's your piggy bank?
You still got your piggy bank?

Yeah.

Just remember, Thomas:
You can't trust anybody.

Show me.

- Hey, get home.
- Hey, Victor.

- Hey, Victor!
- Dance with us.

Come dance with your old man.

Hey, Victor, who's
your favorite lndian?

- Who's your favorite?
- lt's your mama, huh?

Tell him it's your mama.

Nobody.

What'd you say, Victor?

Speak up, boy.

Who's your favorite lndian?

Nobody.

Nobody? Huh?

Nobody?

Did you say "nobody"?

He didn't mean it.
Come on, tell him, Victor.

Tell your daddy you didn't mean it.

Nobody.
Nobody.

Nobody.

You gotta love somebody,
Victor.

[ Arnold ]
Nobody!

[ Drunken Laughter ]
Nobody.

Nobody!

[ Thomas ] You know, your
dad took me to Denny's once.

Thomas, l've heard this
story a thousand times, okay?

Yeah, it was the summer he left.

We were 12, ain't it?
l had this dream, you know?

And this dream told me to go to
Spokane to stand by the falls.

You know, those ones
by the Y.M.C.A.

So l walked there.

l mean, l didn't have no
car, l didn't have no license.

l was 12 years old.

lt took me all day,
but l walked there...

and l stood on that
bridge over the falls...

waitin' for a sign.

l must've been waitin'
there for a couple hours.

But l just watched the water.

lt was beautiful.

l kept hopin' l'd see some salmon, .

but
there ain't any salmon in that river no more

And then
l heard this voice.

"Hey, what the hell
you doin' here?"

lt was your dad,
yellin' at me.

And he keeps on yellin'.

"l asked you what the hell
you're doin' here."

So l told him l was
waitin' for a vision...

and he just laughed.

He said, "All you're gonna
get around here is mugged."

So then he took me to Denny's .

lt was afternoon, you know...

but l still had the
Grand Slam breakfast.

Two eggs, two sausages...

two slices of bacon...

and two pancakes.

And some juice, and milk.

You know, sometimes
it's a good day to die...

sometimes it's a good
day to have breakfast.

- Arnold.

We ain't doin' this no more!

- No more!
- [ Banging ]

We're done with it.

Get back!

l told ya, all l want is the
money that l got comin' to me!

lt's over!
No more drinkin'!

- Did you hear me? No more!
- Let go!

Let go!

Hit me again! Come on!

lf you leave now, don't
you ever come back!

You hear me?

Don't you ever come back!

[ Victor ]
Don't leave, Dad!

Don't leave, Dad!

Victor!

Oh, Papa!

[ Arlene ]
He's gone, Victor.

[ Arlene ]
Yeah, your daddy's magic, ain't it?

He sawed us into pieces,
didn't he?

Feel like my head's in the kitchen
and my belly's in the bathroom...

and my feet
are in the bedroom.

You feel that way, too, huh?

[ Thomas ]
Hey, Victor.

Victor.

Hey, Victor, heard your dad left.

What happened?

Why'd he leave?

Does he hate you?

Victor!
Stop it!

Victor, don't do that to him!

Why'd Arnold leave?

- Hush now, Thomas. Just hush.
- Okay.

[ Thomas ] Hey, Victor,
what do you remember about your dad?

l remember one time we had
this fry bread eatin' contest...

and he ate 15 pieces
of fry bread.

lt was cool.

You know, Thomas, l don't know what
you're talkin' about half the time.

- Why is that?
- l don't know.

l mean, you just go on and
on, talkin' about nothing.

Why can't you have a
normal conversation?

You're always tryin' to sound like
some damn medicine man or something.

l mean, how many times have
you seen Dances With Wolves?

A hundred, two hundred? Aw, geez.

You have seen it that
many times, haven't you?

- Don't you even know
how to be a real lndian?
- l guess not.

Well, shit.
No wonder. Geez.

l guess l'll have to
teach you then, ain't it?

First of all, quit
grinnin' like an idiot.

lndians ain't supposed to
smile like that. Get stoic.

No. Like this.

You gotta look mean, or
people won't respect you.

White people will run all over
you if you don't look mean.

You gotta look
like a warrior.

You gotta look like you just
came back from killing a buffalo.

- But our tribe never hunted
buffalo. We were fishermen.

What? You wanna look like you
just came back from catching a fish?

This ain't
Dances With Salmon, you know.

Thomas, you gotta
look like a warrior.

There.
That's better.

And second, you gotta
know how to use your hair.

- My hair?
- Yeah.

l mean, look at your hair. lt's all
braided up and stuff. You gotta free it.

An lndian man ain't
nothing without his hair.

And last...

you gotta get rid
of that suit, Thomas.

You just have to.

Um, 'scuse me.

Those are our seats.

You mean,
these were your seats.

No, that's not
what he means.

Now listen up.

These are our seats now, and there
ain't a damn thing you can do about it.

So why don't you
and Super lnjun there...

find yourself someplace
else to have a powwow.

Okay?

[ Man ] Come on, now, boys.
Just sit down.

Geez, Victor, l--

l guess your warrior look
doesn't work every time.

Shut up, Thomas.

[ Thomas ]
Man, the cowboys always win.

The cowboys don't always win.

Yeah, they do.
The cowboys always win.

Look at Tom Mix.

[ Thomas ]
What about John Wayne?

Man, he was about the toughest
cowboy of them all, ain't it?

You know,
in all those movies...

you never saw
John Wayne's teeth.

Not once.

l think there's something wrong
when you don't see a guy's teeth.

John Wayne's teeth Hey-ya

[ Thomas joines in ]
John Wayne's teeth, hey-ya
John Wayne's teeth, hey-ya

Are they false Are they real

Are they plastic Are they steel

John Wayne's teeth Are they plastic

Are they steel

John Wayne's teeth John Wayne's teeth

Are they plastic Are they steel

[ Woman On P.A. ]
Now arriving in Phoenix, Arizona.

Please meet your
passengers at the gate.

Reboarding in five minutes
for Yuma, Arizona...

and our final destination:
Los Angeles, California.

So what do we do now?

What do you think?
We walk.

Hey, Victor...

did you know l was an alternate
on the 1980 Olympic team?

How long you think it'll
take us to get there?

We get there when we get there, okay?

l mean, l just wanna know if you have
any idea how long it's going to take.

We've been travelin'
a long time, ain't it?

l mean,
Columbus shows up...

and we start walkin' away from
that beach, tryin' to get away.

And then Custer moves
into the neighborhood...

drivin' down all the
property values and--

And we gotta
keep on walkin'.

Then old Harry Truman drops the bomb...

and we gotta keep on walkin' somewhere.

'Cept it's all bright now, and we
can see exactly where we're goin'.

Hey! And then we get a
beach house on the moon.

But old Neil Armstrong shows
up and boots us off into space.

Then your mom gets that phone
call about your dad bein' dead...

and geez, your dad's gotta
be livin' in Mars, Arizona.

And we ain't got no
money, no car, no horse.

We have to catch the bus
all the way down here.

l mean, we ain't got--
Nobody can help us.

No Superman, no
Batman, no Wonder Woman.

[ Chuckles ]
Not even Charles Bronson, man.

Hey, did you ever notice how your
dad looks like Charles Bronson?

Thomas, my dad doesn't look
anything like Charles Bronson, okay?

Yeah, your dad looks
like Charles Bronson.

Not the Charlie Bronson of
the first Death Wish movie.

No, your dad's more
like Death Wish V...

the one where Charlie Bronson
fights that Asian death gang.

Thomas, will you shut up!

Thirsty?

Get that thing
away from me, okay?

Leave it there, Thomas.

- Hey.
- Hey!

Well, one of you must
be Victor, ain't it?

He's Victor.
l-l'm Thomas.

l'm Suzy Song.

ls my dad here?

Yeah.

Come in.

Come on.

That's him?

Yeah.
This is Arnold.

l mean, he's not lookin' so good, huh?

Okay, we gotta go.
We got a long ride home.

Hold on.
Y-You just got here.

l mean, you guys want something
to eat or drink or somethin'

l'm thirsty,
and l'm hungry.

l'm both.

Come on.

You know, the only thing more
pathetic than lndians on TV...

is lndians watchin' lndians on TV.

[ Victor ] So, Suzy,
what are you doin' out here?

- Do you have a job, or what?

l work for lndian Health Service...

but l don't know
if l have a job anymore.

l haven't been back to work since...

l found your dad.

l haven't talked to
anybody since it happened.

Are you a nurse or somethin'

l used to be a nurse, but now
l'm a hospital administrator.

What does that mean?

lt means l travel too much.

- l bet you've been everywhere then, ain't it?

l've been a lot of
places since l left home.

So where's home then?

- New York.
- Hey, Suzy.

- This is pretty good bread.
- Yeah, it's okay.

Hey, Victor, you should try some.
lt's almost as good as your mom's .

Ain't no bread good as Mom's .

This is pretty close.

lt's okay.

Ain't even close to Mom's , though.

Victor's mom makes the best
fry bread in the whole world.

Really?

lt's so good, they use it
for Communion back home.

Arlene Joseph makes
some Jesus fry bread.

Fry bread that can walk across water.

Fry bread
risin' from the dead.

ls that true?

Come on.
ls that true?

Way back when, we were havin'
a feast on our reservation.

A good old feast.

We didn't have
a whole lot of food...

just a little bit of deer meat,
a huge vat of mashed potatoes...

some Coke
and fry bread.

But the fry bread
made all the difference in the world.

You see, a good piece
of fry bread...

turned any meal into a feast.

Everybody sat
at the tables...

waitin' for the cooks to
come with the fry bread.

They waited...

and waited...

but you see, there was a
hundred lndians at that feast...

and only 50 pieces
of fry bread.

Arlene kept tryin'
to figure out what to do.

l mean, it was her magical fry
bread that everybody wanted.

But Arlene knew what to do.

You see, Arlene's
fry bread was magic.

Arlene was magic.

She knew how to feed
a hundred lndians...

with only 50 pieces
of fry bread.

She went out
to talk to the people.

"Listen!" she said.

"There are one hundred lndians here...

and only 50 pieces
of fry bread!"

Everybody was mad.

There was gonna be a
fry bread riot for sure.

But then Arlene said...

"But l have a way to feed you all!"

She took a piece of fry bread,
she held it over her head...

and she ripped it in half!

Oh, that's a good story.

ls that true?

Hmm? ls that true?

No, it's not true. Thomas,
you're so full of shit.

So l told you a story.
Now it's your turn.

What? Do you want lies,
or do you want the truth?

l want both.

Tell us how you met
Victor's dad, anyway.

Well...

you know, l just moved
here a couple years back...

and l saw him puttering around a lot.

He was always workin'
on that truck, you know?

l didn't have a car back then,
so sometimes he'd give me a ride.

Geez. This hardly ever happens.

lt starts almost every time.

Come on.

Well, may as well walk home.

- You sure you don't
want me to grab those?
- Oh, no, no.

- l-l think l can make it.
- lt's a long walk.

Hey, where are
you from, man?

Plummer, ldaho.

You know, l got me a
ex-wife and a son up there.

What are you doin'
down here then?

l don't know.

Guess l'm still tryin'
to figure that out.

Suzy...

what's the worst thing you ever did?

[ Chuckles ]
What do you mean?

l mean, what's the--

the most evil thing you
ever done to another person?

Oh, l don't know if
l wanna answer that.

Come on. Tell me.

[ Chuckles ]
Uh, let's see.

This one time at a powwow...

l stole
this old lndian woman's purse.

There-- There was like
a couple of hundred bucks in there...

and l spent it all.

And that was probably all
of her powwow money too.

l bet she just cried.

Yeah, that's bad.

There's gotta be somethin'
worse than that, ain't it?

Aw, come on. What about you?
lt's your turn.

What's the worst thing
you ever done?

No way.
lt's still your turn.

l mean, you gotta have done
somethin' worse than steal money.

Okay, okay.

How about this?

Back in college...

l slept
with my best friend's boyfriend.

[ Sniffs ]
Oh, now that's bad.

You must've broke some hearts
that day, ain't it?

At least three.

Yeah, just like me.
l broke three hearts too.

[ Suzy ] Your dad was
a good-looking guy, you know?

He was givin' me the eye.
Just a little bit, you know?

My dad, did he ever
talk about me?

He was always
talking about...

you two playin' basketball.
[ Chuckles ]

[ Arnold ]
l remember this time...
me and my boy Victor...

we were playin' two-on-two basketball
against these Jesuits.

These Jesuits had on their white collars
and their black robes...

and they were
pretty damn good.

By the way they were playing...

l could've swore they had seven out
of twelve apostles on their side.

Because every time
l tried to shoot the ball...

there was a storm of locusts
come flyin' in and blind me.

Now, l was shootin' in the dark.
ln the dark, l tell ya.

But my boy Victor--

He was magic.
He couldn't miss.

Those Jesuits didn't have a prayer
of stoppin' him fair and square.

All right!
Ha-ha-ha!

Victor was only 12 years old
and kind of small...

so those Jesuits
were beatin' up on him real good.

They were beatin' up on him
and chantin' at him...

like he was possessed
or somethin'.

Maybe Victor was possessed
by the spirit of Jim Thorpe...

because he had this look
in his eye, and he was mean.

"Come on, Victor!"
l shouted.

"Come on, Victor!

We're up against the Son
and the Father here!

And these two are gonna need
the Holy Ghost to beat us!"

l mean, the score
was all tied up.

Next basket wins, you know?

So the Jesuits
had the ball.

And this great, big
redhead Jesuit...

come drivin' in
and knocked my boy over.

My boy, he was tough.

You gotta have faith, son.

Faith. Next basket wins.

And he took it to the hoop,
and he flew, man!

He flew,
right over that Jesuit!

Twelve years old, and he was like some
kind of indigenous angel or somethin'.

'Cept maybe his wings
were made out of TV dinner trays!

My boy Victor!
He was the man that day.

He took that shot,
and he won that game.

lt was the lndians
versus the Christians that day...

and for at least one day,
the lndians won!

- So he told you l made the shot, huh?

- Yeah.

Yeah, well, l missed the shot.
l lost the game.

You mean,
your dad lied to me?

Yeah, in a lie
that made me look good.

He was a magician,
you know.

l know.

- Did you love him?
- What?

Did you love him?

Yes.

He was like--

like a father, l guess.

A father.

He had you fooled too,
then, ain't it?

He quit drinkin'
you know.

Yeah.

He was pretty tricky,
wasn't he?

Hey, Victor,
you ever hear of...

the Gathering of Nations Powwow
in New Mexico?

No? Well, your dad and l...

we went to check it out
last year.

All sorts of lndians there,
thousands of 'em...

more lndians than l've
ever seen in one place.

l kept thinkin' "l wish we'd been
this organized when Columbus landed."

Your dad and l were sittin'
way up high in the stands.

He never liked to get too close
to anything, you know?

And then, the powwow emcee, he
called for a ladies' choice dance.

l got to pick my partner,
and l picked your dad.

There were mothers
and fathers dancing...

and brothers
and sisters...

there were some sweethearts,
then there was your dad and me.

And what were you two?

We kept each other's secrets.

- Kafka.
- What?

lt's Kafka,
Arnold's dog.

He's been-- Well, he's been gone
since l found your dad.

Kafka!

Where's your master, huh?

You wouldn't believe the smell.

You know, Victor,
his stuff's still in there.

Might be something
you wanna keep.

There's nothing
in there for me.

Victor, please?

No way.

How about this?

lf l make a shot,
then you have to go inside.

- Deal?
- And if you miss?

Then l'll leave you alone.

Fine. lt's a deal.

Nice shot.

But l still ain't goin' in.

Look, Victor, l'm not playin' some kind
of game here. l'm tryin' to help.

Tryin' to help what?
l mean, who the hell are you anyways?

You're tellin' me
all these stories about my father...

and l don't even know
if they're true.

Hey, maybe you
don't even know him.

l know more about him
than you do.

You don't know anything!

l know about
the Fourth of July party.

- The one where the house burned down.
- What about it?

- l know how it started.
- Nobody knows how it started.

Come on!
Get up, you guys.

Come on, you guys!
You gonna get up or what?

Come on!

Wally, come on!

My dad started that fire?

- lt was an accident.
- He killed Thomas's mom and dad?

But he saved Thomas.

- He almost killed all of us?
- He saved you.

No, my mom saved me.

Listen to me, Victor. Your dad
talked about that fire every day.

He cried about it.
He wished he could've changed it.

He wished he hadn't run away. But you
have to remember one thing, Victor.

He ran back into that burning house
looking for you.

He went back for you.

He didn't mean
to die here, Victor.

He wanted to go home.

He always wanted
to go home.

He's waiting for you, Victor.

He's waiting for you.

[ Thomas Narrating ]
After Victor butchered his hair...

he thought
the ceremony was over...

so he tore me from sleep
at sunrise...

and we left Phoenix
without tellin' Suzy good-bye.

l thought we were leavin'
in a bad way...

but Victor
didn't seem to care a bit.

He just drove all day
and didn't say a word to me...

even though l told him
a thousand stories...

about Suzy and drought...

about his mother and hunger...

about his father and magic.

And then l told Victor...

l thought we were all travelin'
heavy with illusions.

[ Thomas ]
l remember so much about your dad.

l remember when he took me
for breakfast at Denny's .

Your dad was goin'
on and on about you.

He said you were so good
at basketball.

But he also said basketball was the only
thing you were ever gonna be good at.

You know, Thomas, l'm really sick
and tired of you tellin' me...

all these stories about my dad
like you knew him.

But l did know him.

What do you know
about him, Thomas?

Did you know he's a drunk?
Did you know that he left my family?

Did you know he beat up my mom?
Did you know he beat me up?

Just let it go, Thomas!
He was nothing but a liar.

- No, your dad was more than that.
- What was he then, Thomas?

You tell me. You're the expert.
What do you think he was?

You know,
you got it all wrong, Victor.

Maybe you don't know
who you are!

- l don't know what the hell
you're talkin' about.
- l think you do.

You've been mopin' around
the reservation for ten years.

Ten years, Victor!
Doin' what?

You ain't got no job! You ain't got
no money! You ain't got nothin'!

Yeah, and what do you got, huh, Thomas?
What do you do all day long?

- l look after my grandma.
- Yeah, and l look after my mom.

- You make your mom cry.
- Shut up, Thomas!

You make your mom
cry her eyes out!

l mean, your dad left her, sure,
but you left her too.

And you're worse 'cause you still live
in the same house with her!

Shut up, Thomas!
Just shut up!

He saved your dumb ass in that fire!
He didn't save me!

- He never saved me!
- Quit feelin' sorry for yourself.

l wish he would have let you burn
in that fire, you know?

Then he wouldn't have left me.

He was always leavin' Victor!

Everything burned up, Thomas,
everything! Everything burned up!

Everything! Everything! Shit!

What have you done?
What have you done? What did you do?

- Burt!
- [ Man ] Get in the car, Penny!

l'm so-- l'm so sorry. He was drunk,
and he was driving so fast.

- l told him to slow down. l'm so sorry.
- All right, get back in the car.

- Get in the car! Stay in the car!
- Hey, take it easy!

- Get your hands off me!
- l didn't do anything.

lt's your fault, man.
You hit my car, man.

- You're drunk!
- Take it easy! Get out of my face!

- Step away!
- lt's your fault!

Help me! Hurry!
Somebody, help!

- lt's your fault. You hit me!
- l didn't do anything.

- Oh, no, help me!
- Don't let her up!

- You're drunk!
- Get out of my face!

- Get your hands off me!
- Look at what you did to your wife!

Look what you did!

- What's your name?
- Holly.

This is your fault.

This is your fault.

- l'll go for help.
- What, are you crazy?

The nearest town is 20 miles away.
You'll never make it.

l'm goin' for help.
Thomas!

[ Burt ]
And she ain't gonna make it either!

l'm goin' for help!

That's a dead girl
you're talkin' to.

lt's a dead girl!

[ Suzy ] Your dad
talked about that fire every day.

He cried about it.

He wished he could've changed it.
He wished he hadn't run away.

But you have to remember
one thing, Victor.

He ran back into that burning house
looking for you!

He did one good thing.

He went back for you.

[ Arnold ] Everything in the world
can fit inside this ball.

lt's not about magic, man.

lt's about faith.

Geez, Thomas,
can't you drive this thing?

Geez, who are you to talk?
You're the one who got us in a wreck.

Hey, a wreck's a wreck. l got cousins
who've been in a dozen car wrecks.

Old Lester Fallsapart has been
in a car wreck every year of his life.

You and me,
we just had one car wreck.

Victor, l think we were
in two wrecks last night.

Well, if it isn't our marathon runner.
How ya doin'

Oh, my feet hurt.
How's she?

Julie's gonna be okay.

You guys are heroes,
you know?

lt's like you're
the Lone Ranger and Tonto.

No, it's more like
we're Tonto and Tonto.

l mean, the police were just here. That
Burt guy said the wreck was your fault.

- No way.
- He said you were tryin' to kill him.

- He's a goddamn liar.
- l know.

That's what l told the police.
l don't think they believed me.

Well, geez, we probably should
get out of town then, ain't it, Victor?

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

Well, it looks like you boys got
yourself into some serious trouble here.

You've been accused
of assault with a deadly weapon.

That's bullshit.

- lt's Victor, is it?
- Yes.

Victor Joseph.

Well, that kind of language
isn't necessary, Victor.

We didn't do anything wrong.

You didn't do anything wrong.

Well, l have this complaint...

signed by a Mr. Burt Cicero.

And Mr. Cicero alleges...

that Mr. Joseph assaulted him
soon after the accident...

and that you were drunk.

- ls that true?
- l don't drink.

l never had a drop of alcohol
in my life, Officer.

Not one drop.

Well, just what kind of lnjun
are you, exactly?

l'm Coeur d'A lene, and Thomas
here is Coeur d'A lene too.

Y-Yeah, exactly.

Well, Mr. Builds-the-Fire...

what do you think
about all these charges?

We was framed.

Framed? Well--

We do have another statement here
by a Mrs. Penny Cicero.

lt says here
that her husband is--

and l quote--
"a complete asshole."

l'd say Mr. Cicero doesn't have
much of a case here against you.

However, l do have
one problem here. Uh--

Now, l know that this...

is a basketball.

But l am very...

very curious about this.

That's my father.

Your father?

Yes. That's my father.

l can't believe we got out
of that guy's office alive.

Yeah, l guess your warrior
look does work sometimes.

Let me hold on to Dad.

Thomas...

l'm sorry l got us
into that wreck.

l mean, l'm sorry
about every wreck.

Let's go.

l bet your grandma
really missed you, huh?

Yeah, we've been gone 6 days,
12 hours and 32 minutes.

You know, Thomas, l, uh--

l wanna thank you
for everything.

For the money and stuff.

l-lt's nothin' really.

- l mean, l just wanted to--
- l-lt's nothin'.

l mean, who needs money
on the res anyways?

Yeah, you're probably right.

Are you sure?

Yeah, l'm sure.

Victor, l'm gonna travel
to Spokane for one last time...

and toss these ashes
into the river...

and your father
will rise like a salmon.

He'll rise.

What? What?

Well, l was thinkin'
about doin' the same thing myself...

but l never thought of my father
as a salmon.

l mean, l thought it would be just like
cleaning out the attic, you know?

Like throwin' things away
when they have no more use.

Thanks, eh?

Hey, Victor!

- What is it, Thomas?
- Hey, Victor.

Do you know
why your dad really left?

Yeah.

He didn't mean to, Thomas.

Tell me what happened, Thomas.

Tell me what's going
to happen.

[ Thomas Narrating ]
How do we forgive our fathers?

Maybe in a dream.

Do we forgive our fathers
for leavin' us too often...

or forever
when we were little?

Maybe for scarin' us
with unexpected rage?

Or makin' us nervous because there never
seemed to be any rage there at all?

Do we forgive our fathers
for marryin'. ..

or not marryin' our mothers?

For divorcin'
or not divorcin' our mothers?

And shall we forgive them
for their excesses of warmth...

or coldness?

Shall we forgive them
for pushin' or leanin'

For shuttin' doors?

For speakin' through walls...

or never speakin'

Or never being silent?

Do we forgive our fathers
in our age...

or in theirs?

Or in their deaths,
saying it to them?

Or not saying it?

lf we forgive our fathers...

what is left?

- Sottotitolo non tradotto -