Heather Rae Movies

A soldier comes home from the war but can't find peace in his heart and mind in this independent drama. James (Ryan O'Nan) returns to his hometown in Texas after serving a long hitch in Iraq, and is warmly welcomed by his wife, Sara (America Ferrera), and best friend, Michael (Jason Ritter). However, his homecoming party is awkward and it's clear James is not the same as he was before he left. Sara's father, David (Benito Martinez), arranges for James to get a job working beside Michael at a meat processing plant, but when an argument with a co-worker turn violent, James' life goes into a tailspin and Sara leaves him. James still hasn't come to terms with his experiences in Iraq, and a reunion with one of his Army buddies, Raymond (Wilmer Valderrama), convinces him he needs to make contact with Henry (Diego Klattenhoff), a fellow soldier who was part of an incident that scarred them both. The Dry Land was the first feature film from writer and director Ryan Piers Williams, and received its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A desperate single mother living in upstate New York resorts to smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States as a means of making ends meet in first-time feature director/screenwriter Courtney Hunt's emotionally wrenching drama, winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Dramatic Feature at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Ray Eddy is in an impossible position; it's two days before Christmas and her husband has suddenly disappeared with all of the family savings. Now, as the newly single mother of two realizes the futility of attempting to cover the house payments on her meager Yankee One Dollar Store wages, her children are forced to exist on a nutritionally devoid diet of popcorn and Tang. Deciding that her only hope for survival is to find a man who will support her and her children, Ray sets out to find a husband but instead makes the acquaintance of street-smart Mohawk Lila Littlewolf. Lila, too, has been struggling to keep her head above water amidst economic despair, and has recently stumbled across a rather unconventional solution to her dire financial situation. Lately, Lila has been earning a living by smuggling illegal immigrants into the U.S., but her tribal elders vehemently disapprove of the scheme and have recently attempted to stop it by forbidding the local auto dealers from selling her a car. As fate would have it, Ray's Dodge Spirit may just be the only thing the destitute mother can count on anymore, and as this unlikely pair gas up the tank for a daring dash across the iced-over St. Lawrence River, their fates become forever intertwined in ways that neither could have ever anticipated. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

John Trudell is a poet, musician, actor, and political activist who has been speaking out on behalf of the Native American people with intelligence and passion since the late '60s. Trudell took part in the 1969 occupation of Alcatraz Island by the activist group Indians of All Tribes, who intended to use the former prison as a school for Native American youth. Trudell eventually became one of IOAT's leading spokesmen, and in 1973 became chairman of the American Indian Movement (AIM), which would become the most visible and powerful Native American activist group.
In 1979, not long after a protest in which Trudell and other AIM members burned an American flag in front of FBI headquarters, his wife, mother-in-law, and three daughters died in a fire. Some have suggested that the fire was an arson set by FBI operatives (the Bureau has a 17,000 page file on Trudell, in which he is described as "extremely eloquent, therefore extremely dangerous"). Trudell turned to poetry to help him express his grief over the death of his family and his concerns over the state of America; musician Jackson Browne admired his writings, and encouraged him to put his words to music, and with the help of collaborators such as Jesse Ed Davis and Mark Shark, Trudell began recording a series of albums which combined lyrics confronting political and personal issues with music that touched on blues, rock, and Native American themes. Well into the new millennium, Trudell remains a powerful voice in both political and creative circles, and Native American filmmaker Heather Rae spent 12 years following Trudell and interviewing him, his friends, and his colleagues to create the documentary Trudell. Created with Trudell's participation and approval, the film won the Special Jury Prize as Best Documentary at the 2005 Seattle Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Native American filmmaker Shirley Cheechoo makes her directorial debut with this tale of an unfortunate woman in a remote Canadian reservation. In a single day, Ella Lee (Renae Morriseau) gets raped by her thuggish ex-boss, accidentally kills her abusive pit bull of a husband, and gets brutally interrogated and sexually molested by an evil cop. Though Ella Lee's attorney sister offers to defend her, real justice occurs with the help of a vengeful shape-shifting bugbear. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi