No assembly RequireD

Native and Indigenous storytelling is far from something new and yet if you look towards Hollywood and the film industry as a whole you’d spend more time trying to search things out than instead of being handed them. There are films told from outsider perspectives that while may have good intentions can often feel misguided, even great filmmakers like Martin Scorsese can never capture the full scope, (something he himself admitted in the making of his own film “Killers of the Flower Moon”). But over the past years there have been a welcoming and needed presence of native filmmakers getting larger platforms to tell their story whether it be Sterlin Harjo’s “Reservation Dogs” on Hulu or Erica Tremblay’s “Fancy Dance” starring Golden Globe winner (and Oscar nominated) Lily Gladstone. But even with these projects, filmmakers and cinephiles still have to dig deeper or even find themselves self-funding their own path. REMAINING NATIVE directed by Paige Bethmann is all about carving your own path, often literally. The gentle but often heartbreaking documentary follows high school cross country runner Kutoven Stevens who dreams of running for the prestigious University of Oregon. Stevens is from Yerington Nevada and lives on the Paiute Indian Reservation. As the only runner for his high school Stevens recognizes the uphill battle he faces in getting a scout to recognize him, but this is far from the only thing Stevens is running for because under the very soil he runs on tells a bigger story, one of great pain but also one of true resilience.

Boarding Schools are some of the most painful subjects to bring up on the Reservations but its history is as important as listening to those with first hand experience. The Christian boarding schools stole Native children from their homes and family only to force assimilation onto them in the name of a religion and a God they believed would “save” their souls. Many of these children were harmed physically and sexually while hundreds of them were killed and their bodies never discovered. It is a sickening part of our American history that many would like to claim as a time long ago and yet so many Native children have elder relatives who can share their own stories of the schools. Stevens’ great grandfather Frank ‘Togo’o’ Quinn escaped himself three times from these schools running 50 miles in hopes of freedom, and it is here where Bethmann finds her biggest and most intimate part of the story. Kutoven Stevens is no longer running for himself, but instead his great grandfather and all those who truly had to run to secure their own safety and save themselves.

Bethmann’s calm directing and even more so Stevens’ tranquil personality seeks through in every frame of the doc. It is a reminder of the peace that often comes with running, in fact the film in its quieter moments of just watching Stevens’ runs truly evokes the feeling familiar to every runner where the thoughts just trail off and the number of miles you run blends together. All this greatly juxtaposes the more excruciating moments involving Stevens’ track meets where every second counts. It is a great reminder that while running can be peaceful it is those grueling moments that will change Stevens’ life or at least his potential college future. Stevens, a very likable young boy lives and breaths for running so much so that the documentary often doesn’t allow us to get the know him outside of the sport. There is a sense that maybe between sports and a new venture involving community he doesn’t have the time to be a “normal” teenager but Bethmann doesn’t allow us to learn that through outside footage. Nonetheless Stevens is such a caring person especially for keeping the history alive of his people. Eventually he starts the Remembrance Run, a 50 mile trek over the course of two days, where participants run the 50 miles his great grandfather ran in hopes of freedom. It is a time and place of memories as well as connecting those from reservations to share their own stories and family history some involving truly horrific events. But even amongst all the pain and sadness there is a beautiful bond that is all due to Stevens remembering his past in helps of moving towards a strong future.

One of the docs’ strongest aspects is the inclusion of Kutoven’s mother and father Misty and Delmar Stevens. In doing so we learn of their excitement for a bright future of education and athletics but there is still a worry brought up by his father that many Native kids leave the reservation and do not return after being educated into a more predominantly white education system of America. It is a genuine concern which is thankfully lessened when we see the dedication Kutoven has for the creation and leadership of the Remembrance Run. REMAINING NATIVE (appropriately titled) shows how no matter the history or where one goes in the future nothing can strip these men and women of their Native home and heritage. It is also just a powerful emphasis on the the strength that comes from running mentally. This time in space where it is just you and your thoughts and where everything from the past, present and future morph into the endless miles you run and remind us that it will form every move we make and leave a footprint that will last forever.

B+

REMAINING NATIVE premiered at the South by South West Festival in the Documentary Feature Competition