Coming to Theatres June 14
Catherine Bainbridge and Neil Diamond’s Red Fever is a very eye-opening documentary about why Native American culture fascinates the world. The iconography is nearly everywhere. Whether that’s with certain fashion trends or because entertainment rarely properly looks at their way of life, not everyone is happy about it.
What this film does is to show how White man has misrepresented those motifs. I’m glad what’s revealed will have an effect on those watching this presentation, and what’s special is its historic significance. Some of it can be traced to matters of spirituality, and other aspects concern lineage.
Even the look at why mass media often relies on stereotypes gets addressed. As a result, those old westerns don’t age well. As for more current films made by indigenous filmmakers, like The Great Salish Heist (movie review) or even Hey, Viktor! (movie review), when they know how to play it up for laughs, everyone can chuckle along. This issue is a fine line to tread, and to see how Hollywood is still handling it still needs to be figured out.
While a lot of origins (like how the Washington Commanders were once known by another name) resulted from another era trying to justify that identity, it’s nice to see how the times are now changing to pay respect to how society is changing. Sometimes updates are needed. Even fashion designer Ralph Loren said he’ll make behind-the-scenes changes regarding who should be in charge of making the next clothing line.
The segment I enjoyed the most is about how democracy started in North America. It wasn’t brought over, but has existed before explorers from Europe landed! The ancient Greeks can’t be credited for everything, and what the first settlers learned was from the local tribes instead of the Mediterranean.
In what makes Diamond’s cinematic discourse effective is that he’s able to touch upon a lot of issues without being too preachy. It’s a piece worth adding to any high school social studies (i.e. history) curriculum and while some may say this work simply boils down to saying today’s woke culture is everywhere, I believe there’s a lot more to it than just that. I think he just wants to say what’s past is in the past, and let’s be more positive for a better future where all nations can stand on equal ground.
5 Stars out of 5