Hank Williams First Nation

"I want you to take your Uncle Martin to the Nashville, so he can see if Hank Williams Sr. is really dead" says Adelard Fox played by Gorden Tootosis, in the movie "Hank Williams First Nation". He speaks these lines to Jacob Fox his grandson, played by Colin Van Loon. Jacob, a 17 yr old highschool student, who is understandably shocked to hear his Grandfather exclaim these life altering words.

This is the beginning of the plot, surrounding the the tiny Northern Alberta Reserve, its a kind of plot that tricks us in to believing that it will be strictly a road movie. We get to see glimpses of the world they are leaving and the one that they are discovering. I say glimpses because the movie seems disjointed, without a beginning or an end.

Aaron James Sorensen the writer/director of this film seems to be asking us not to be interested so much in the plot but to be interested in the characters because this is what the movie is all about. This is where the movie shines and this is also where it fails. He needed to pick a focus.

Now I am not saying this is a bad film don't rent it. I am saying this is a reasonably good film and you should check it out. If only to see the performances of the people in it. The tendency of non-native and some native TV/film makers is to make there stories more indian, you can see this on "north of 60" or any number of straight to video Lou Diamond Philips movies. you should keep eyes on young up and coming actors like Bernard Starlight who plays Huey Bigstone, his enthusiasim for life jumps off/out of the screen, his ambition to make something, build something for himself and others is infectious and partly why I am writing this review. I tended to think that this movie or maybe a future movie should revolve around Huey and Sarah Fox played intellegently by Stacy Da Silva. Sarah Fox is caught by crisis as a young women not knowing how to react to so many of life occurences.

So sometimes its not the destination but the journey. Each one of these characters takes the trip along with Jacob Fox and Uncle Martin(Jimmy Herman) through letters and diary entries...

Again not saying this is the best movie but it is worth a watch. I will refrain from giving stars out of 5 or popcorn boxes or thumbs up or down. But I do wish that you would give it a chance.