By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Michael McDermit | Schon Duncan
Year: 2023
Running time: 94
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22475220/reference/
Michael says: “This is one of those documentaries that tells in important, and powerful story, one that I’m so glad I am aware of, that might have been better experienced as a book. Of the 430,000 citizens in the Cherokee nation, less than 2,000 fluent speaker of their language remain. This film chronicles the movement to keep the culture from being erased as a result of the loss of their language, and the may ways across generations that the language is being revived. When director Michael McDermit met Schon Duncan, one of the Cherokee who learned the langauge later in life, he realized that Duncan was the integral to the ongoing creation of the film, in fact enough so that he became a co-director. While imbued with powerful moments, and fascinating characters, the doc felt a little cyclical, repeating points it had already made, and slightly flat, learning a language not being the most visual of activities. Still, the subject matter and the passion inherent in this movement made for film worth seeing. 3 cats”