Older Than America

Good cast, but not so well done as a movie. I love Adam Beach and Wes Studi, and was surprised to see Bradley Cooper. I watched the movie online and thought I had some issues with loading, but perhaps it was just poor shooting/direction. I didn't care for lack of resolution regarding one government man. However, I appreciated the story and the history. Personally, I am working with the Navajo and love to learn about native culture. (This movie reservation was in Minnesota). I have heard testimony of some of this boarding school history. This movie was disturbing, with disturbing images and concepts, but I believe that much was based on truth. I wouldn't recommend this for young kids, but would love for older youth to learn about this native history.

In Minnesota, modernized Native American couple Georgina Lightning (as Rain) and Adam Beach (as John "Johnny" Goodfeather) are troubled by her nightmarish visions. With help from visiting geologist Bradley Cooper (as Luke Patterson), they uncover some mysterious events. "Older Than America" is an issue-oriented film, it explores / exposes the United States government's policy of taking Native American children away from families and reservations in order to assimilate.

The emphasis is on making these children Christian (using abominable force). Writer/director Lightning's topic is commendable, but the use of the supernatural does not work; that even Mr. Cooper, in town to investigate an earthquake, has visions perpetuates myths of different color. This can work well in drama, just not this time. The song played over the end credits, "Someone Call an Angel Down" written and performed by Derek Miller, provides a haunting coda.

***** Older Than America (3/8/08) Georgina Lightning ~ Georgina Lightning, Adam Beach, Bradley Cooper, Tantoo Cardinal

This movie really is not a view of life in boarding schools, per se. I don't believe it was intended to be. It is a metaphor for the effects still felt today by nearly all Native Americans here in the U.S. The movie "is" a period place. All of the issues that the story touches base on are those that Natives all over Indian Country are dealing with today. It is not the direct reflection of one single reason why Natives today face the afflictions of poverty, alcoholism, abuse, unemployment, illiteracy, and loss of identity as a culture, but the culmination of many. Forced attendance into an institution specifically designed to strip away everything it means to be "Indian" just so happens to be the primary area of focus in this film. The sub-plots add depth to the characters as well as much needed comic relief. Even though this film is classified as a drama, it should be shown in every history class across the United States, right after the lesson on the first "Thanksgiving".

I watched this going in with high hopes with Adam Beach and Bradley cooper. What i really got was a alright story made into a pretty poor movie. I was trying to figure out what Coopers part really had to do with the movie. Will bring in a Earthquake expert too take a look at an area where supposedly an earthquake took place. Adam Beach was alright but he looked bored playing his part like it was a paycheck probably because he knew this movie would get lost or go directly to DVD. Not only was this movie lost it didn't get released until 2012 over 5 years after it was made.

Well this would be the moment to start releasing older Bradley Cooper movies after his Hangover flicks. I have to be honest the lead female role in this movie was hard to look at and her acting was not much better. This tries to be a superstitious ghost type movie and turns into an unbelievable movie with zero suspense. Its amazing how 1 priest can try to cover up such a big mess you would think he would have help and he all by himself had that much power to keep it hidden. They turned a based on a true story into a suspense movie where only the past was the truth everything else was LIFETIME for TV. Bradley probably wishes he didn't except the part!

Lets get this out of the way, the movie was just OK. But the story, the history... congratulations to Lightning for helping get this story out. I read many comments about "boarding schools" and "1970s" and the "US." It's important to note that Lightning is Canadian. The truth behind the fictional story presented here is very much Canadian. As is always the case, it was a Canadian story set in the US to sell it better (see ARGO). The residential school system existed until 1996! Alberta, where Lightning hails from, had the greatest concentration of these institutions. The Residential School system is widely referred to as "Canada's Holocaust" due to the cultural genocide perpetrated against First Nations people by various Church organizations and the Canadian government.

So again, congratulations Lightning for helping to raise awareness for this important subject. Too bad the truth is so buried below a sub par fictional story and an unnecessary Americanization of Canadian history.