Thunderheart Critical Analysis - Essay Example

28 October Film Analysis: Thunderheart is a very educational and riveting movie made in 1992. It is directed by Michael Apted and he has tried to explore many major planning issues through his film. From cultural awareness to assimilation into foreign cultures to Native American culture which is often misunderstood to social networking to educational awareness to political corruption to cultural stereotypes, Apted intellectually touches every important sensitive planning issue in Thunderheart. The movie is actually based on exploring Native Americans and their cultural values. It also tries to answer some major concerns like why these people have always remained so poorly understood and why their history is fraught with endless stories of struggle and strife. This essay aims to concentrate on one planning issue in particular which is cultural awareness and assimilation. This issue has a lot of depth and intensity to it which is why following discussion will be based on it. There are clear evidences present in the film to support this planning issue, each of which will be scrutinized in this essay. First piece of evidence supporting the fact that the film promotes cultural awareness and assimilation is when the FBI agent Ray Levoi begins to go deeper and has his first look at what is hidden under the surface. The surface image of Native Americans is very stereotypical which is created by the white elite forces. It speaks that all Native Americans are wild and deranged especially the infamous Indian tribes. The unmitigated hatred spawned by white people for Indian tribes is a very grave issue which forms the bedrock of this film. Levoi is more culturally aware than others and so, he believes that some Indian tribes may be vicious, but the same cannot be said for all. There is no reason to possess such racial hatred for the Indians as is possessed by characters like Agent Frank “Cooch” and Jack Milton in the film. Levoi has a different attitude than his partner Cooch toward Native Americans. He understands that there are power inequalities between the Indians and whites. After developing a harmonious standing with some tribal elders like Grandpa Sam, he come to know that these inequalities range from political power to social relationships. He sees that whites are certainly more privileged than Native Indians are and he sympathizes with local Indian tribes. This shows how culturally aware he becomes which helps him to swiftly assimilate with them. Another point highlighting Levoi’s cultural awareness is his association with Maggie Eagle Bear. Maggie has political interests and she is a Native American activist. Like most other white men sent to Native American reservations to deal with certain affairs, Levoi is not revolted by the people living on those reservations. Rather, he is a sensitive person and respects all Indian issues. He feels attracted to Maggie because she defies all those racial stereotypes which he grew up with. She is not deranged or uneducated or vicious, rather she is an intelligent and politically aware person (Pack 98). This fascinates Levoi and the distance between him and Native Americans begins to diminish. Association with Maggie inflicts a very positive influence on Levoi because it helps him understand the difference between right and wrong. Because he is sensitized to the locals’ issues, he realizes how many misunderstandings there are about Native Indians in the country which need to be identified and rectified. He is clearly against the way aboriginal citizens are treated in his country. His behavior reflects his cultural awareness and assimilation which proves that this is a major planning issue explored in Thunderheart. An interesting fact is that before coming to the reservation or associating with Maggie, Levoi too was strongly ashamed of his Sioux ancestry. His father hailed from a Native American tribe and after his death, Levoi did everything possible to keep all Native American influences at bay (Pack 105). But, after becoming a culturally aware person, Levoi considers it a matter of shame that Americans have such a hideous history with Native Americans. Levoi is shown in the film as a mixed-blood man who has lived all his life in the white world before coming to the reservation. It is here that he familiarizes with his Indian ancestry and discovers that all he was told by the society about Native Americans was a pack of lies. He discovers truth in the reservation and comes to peaceful terms with his roots. He comes as an ignorant person and returns to “white America equipped with the wisdom of an Indian holy man” (Pack 99). This shows that Levoi does in fact become culturally aware in the film and also honestly tries to assimilate with locals. His association with Grandpa Sam is very harmonious and the tribal elder also serves as his mentor. It is due to this awareness that in the film, Levoi is labeled “Thunderheart” by the natives who brutally died in the Wounded Knee Massacre and came back to rid the Indians from their many troubles. This respect for Levoi originates from the way he tries to understand the locals as objectively as possible. Were he arrogant and detached, he would not have been labeled “Thunderheart.” This proves that Levoi learns a lot by mixing with the Indians and taking interest in their culture which is actually his culture too. Concluding, the above discussion shows that the film, Thunderheart, is a very good example for anyone interesting in becoming culturally aware. This film takes a radical turn from the popular stereotypes and attempts to focus on modern reality. Cultural awareness is a big planning issue in this film which is explored in the essay and supporting pieces of evidence are explored separately to justify the presence and efficacy of this issue. All points suggest the fact that the film strives to make America treat her Native Aborigines in a nice and objective manner. This objective treatment is the only way to put an end to the country’s hideous record of Native Americans. It is the responsibility of every person to be culturally aware. Work cited: Pack, Sam. “The Best of Both Worlds: Otherness, Appropriation, and Identity in Thunderheart.” Wicazo Sa Review 16.2 (2001): 97-114. Print. Read More