Four Sheets to the Wind
{{Short description|2007 American drama film}}
{{For|the related idiom|Three sheets to the wind (disambiguation){{!}}Three sheets to the wind}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}{{Infobox film
| name = Four Sheets to the Wind
| image = Four Sheets to the Wind.jpg
| caption =
| director = Sterlin Harjo
| producer = Chad Burris
Ted Kroeber
Cheyenne Fletcher
| writer = Sterlin Harjo
| starring = Cody Lightning
Tamara Podemski
Laura Bailey
Jeri Arredondo
| music = Jeffery Johnson
| cinematography = Fredrick Schroder
| editing = David Michael Maurer
| studio = Indion Entertainment Group
KishProductions
Dirt Road Productions
| distributor = First Look Studios
| released = {{Film date|2007|1|22|Sundance}}
| runtime = 81 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
Creek
}}
Four Sheets to the Wind is a 2007 independent drama film written and directed by Sterlin Harjo. It was Harjo's first feature film, and won several awards at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and American Indian Film Festival.
Plot
The film tells the story of Cufe, a young Seminole/Creek man who travels from his small Oklahoma home town to Tulsa to visit his sister, Miri, after the suicide and funeral of their father. While Miri struggles with her life in the city, Cufe becomes friendly, and then romantically involved, with Miri's neighbor, Francie, and he begins to perceive that his life has more possibilities than he had realized.{{Cite news |last=Anderson |first=John |date=2006-08-27 |title=This Time, the Indians Tell Their Own Story |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/27/movies/27ande.html |access-date= |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=liuJRbLLZ34C&pg=PT386 |title=A Companion to Film Comedy |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |year=2012 |isbn=978-1118327845 |editor-last=Horton |editor-first=Andrew |pages=386ff |editor-last2=Rapf |editor-first2=Joanna E.}}
Cast
- Cody Lightning as Cufe Smallhill
- Tamara Podemski as Miri Smallhill
- Laura Bailey as Francie
- Jeri Arredondo as Cora Smallhill
- Jon Proudstar as Jim
- Mike Randleman as Sonny
- Richard Ray Whitman as Frankie Smallhill
Production
The script was developed with the support of the Sundance Institute{{Cite web |date=2021-09-08 |title=Straight Out of Sundance: "Reservation Dogs" Creator Sterlin Harjo on Making His First Feature, "Four Sheets to the Wind" |url=https://www.sundance.org/blogs/artist-spotlight/sterlin-harjo-lab-memories/ |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=sundance.org |language=en-US}} and was filmed in Holdenville, Oklahoma (Harjo's hometown) and in Tulsa.{{Cite web |date=2010-11-26 |title=Camera Q&A: Sterlin Harjo on filming in Oklahoma |url=https://camerainthesun.com/2010/11/26/camera-qa-part-2-sterlin-harjo-on-filming-in-oklahoma/ |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=Camera in the Sun |language=en-US}} Harjo has commented that one of his purposes in writing the script was to react against expectations and stereotypes, for example by depicting Cufe "drinking a beer" while not making alcoholism a central issue, and showing him becoming involved with Francie without making the movie into "an issue-driven interracial relationship story".{{Cite web |last=Kline |first=Joshua |date=June 3, 2010 |title=Sterlin Harjo and the Real Indian |url=https://thislandpress.com/2010/06/03/sterlin-harjo-and-the-real-indian/?read=complete |access-date= |website=This Land Press}}
Reception
The film premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the grand jury prize. Tamara Podemski won a Sundance special jury prize for her performance as Miri,{{Cite web |date=2007-01-28 |title=Sundance film winners explore 'our global society' |url=https://www.deseret.com/2007/1/28/19998688/sundance-film-winners-explore-our-global-society |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=Deseret News |language=en}} and she was later nominated for best supporting actress at the 2007 Independent Spirit Awards. At the 2007 American Indian Film Festival, Harjo was named best director, and Cody Lightning was named best actor for his performance as Cufe.{{Cite web |title=Sterlin Harjo |url=http://filmcatalog.nmai.si.edu/person/913/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113042052/http://filmcatalog.nmai.si.edu/person/913/ |archive-date=2017-11-13 |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=National Museum of the American Indian}}
The film received largely positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10.{{cite news |title=Four Sheets to the Wind |work=Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10007856-four_sheets_to_the_wind |access-date=September 19, 2023}} Associated Press reviewer Duane Byrge noted that it was a "captivating crowd-pleaser" at Sundance and praised the actors, described it as "a personal story that transcends any specific heritage or geographic setting".{{Cite web |last=Byrge |first=Duane |date=2007-01-24 |title=Four Sheets to the Wind |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/four-sheets-wind-159295/ |access-date= |website=Associated Press |language=en-US |via=The Hollywood Reporter}} Variety's Dennis Harvey commented that the film is "so low-key it risks making little impression", but ultimately wins "viewer sympathy and affection".{{Cite web |last=Harvey |first=Dennis |date=2007-01-30 |title=Four Sheets To The Wind |url=https://variety.com/2007/film/reviews/four-sheets-to-the-wind-1200510738/ |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} Zack Haddad of Film Threat compared the film to Garden State and complimented its "wonderfuly oddball comedy" as well as its "heart-felt" message.{{Cite web |last=Haddad |first=Zack |date=2007-01-24 |title=Four Sheets to the Wind |url=https://filmthreat.com/uncategorized/four-sheets-to-the-wind/ |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=Film Threat |language=en-US}}
Awards and nominations
See also
References
{{Reflist|30em}}