Ivan Kander
Depictions of Native Americans on-screen are often rife with cliché, from offensive caricatures (oh hai, Peter Pan!) to lugubrious “poverty porn” focusing on vices like alcoholism, drugs, and gambling.
In a very intentional fashion, Into the Circle from filmmakers Meg Griffiths and Scott Faris, is the exact opposite of that “kind” of representation, eschewing melodrama and broad, lugubrious depictions of Indigenous life and instead providing something hyper-specific: a nuanced look at one particular indigenous family as they attempt to bridge the gap between their heritage and their path to the future.
On some level, I realize that Into the Circle is a “tough sell” for an online audience. There’s no major structural plot arc, its tone is measured and quiet, and its length will deter short-attention-spanned online viewers. But, if you open yourself to the film’s patient delivery, you will be rewarded by something that is contemplative and powerful as it explores the intersection of family, culture, and community as drivers towards purpose in one’s life.
The Hollow Horn family are the “heart of the story”.
Obviously, by focusing on this specific Lakota family, we are treated to a very particular look at what this community entails: from the importance of native education to rediscovering a “homeland” that isn’t your literal home. Although the film never becomes preachy, it’s impossible to talk about the modern Native American experience without somehow tangentially broaching America’s systemic and often violent attempts to squash it. But, there is larger and broader resonance via this specific lens. In screening for this site since 2013, I think one of the major themes I gravitate towards in my personal curation is the power of community. I realize that sounds like a Kumbaya platitude, but I truly believe it is the defining desire of humanity: this want to belong and be a part of something bigger than one’s self, whether it be religion or sports or other nonsecular interests. For the Hollow Horn family, that community comes from their literal tribe and it’s a touching journey to see them overcome the loss of their patriarch and find love and support in the warmth of Lakota culture, watching as new generations continue customs and traditions.
“Building a genuine and trusting relationship with our key subjects was paramount to the project’s success”
On a technical level, the film is very objectively well-executed, featuring some truly lovely cinematography and an atmospheric score. For those interested in the specific technical qualifications, the film was shot using the Atlas Orion anamorphic primes, which gives all the bokeh and soft-focus shots such a distinctive look. Griffiths and Faris worked hard to build a rapport with their subjects, aiming to create an environment that was comfortable and unobtrusive for filming. Into the Circle, was, technically, in production long before any footage was shot.
As the filmmakers related to Short of the Week:
“Due to our previous experience both working with and living in Indigenous communities in South Dakota, we knew from the onset that building a genuine and trusting relationship with our key subjects was paramount to the project’s success. We made several pre-production visits in the years leading up to the start of filming to secure buy-in from both NACA leadership and the Hollow Horn family. Creating a production environment that felt casual and minimally invasive was a key creative consideration in the film’s aesthetic, which relies heavily on natural light and verité photography.”
The film’s final act takes place during COVID, which, not surprisingly, had a major effect on production, forcing the filmmaker’s to restructure the edit and even incorporate footage captured by a friend of the family during the lockdown. The film’s last few minutes are a sobering reminder of how the Pandemic had so unceremoniously denied us the chance to commune with one another. Posting this feature in fall of 2021 (in honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day), where life has more or less returned to normalcy, Into the Circle is a fascinating document of pandemic vs post-pandemic life (albeit it in reverse). Now, thankfully, we can all come together once again and find meaning and support via our own respective tribes.