Wetiko

This is an unusual indie art film that is worth checking out for several reasons. Its theme is the cultural appropriation of indigenous spirituality and lifeways and it skewers the cult-like spiritual corruption involved. The mythopoetic storytelling seems to ring unusually true to the ways indigenous folk often pass on spiritual knowledge. It is an often visually beautiful film with accomplished actors breathing life into a kind of story that is seldom told on screen. This is the second feature film released by director Kerry Mondragon, who has his own voice and visual style that is quite interesting. The story itself is the harrowing spiritual odyssey of a young Maya man navigating through hazards to body and soul, something many viewers may recognize from their own life.