Driving across Puget Sound's Agate Pass bridge in Washington state's Kitsap County, the traveler moves between two different worlds: from Seattle's "bedroom" community of professionals and artists on upscale Bainbridge Island to the less economically fortunate Indian and non-Indian mixed resident Suquamish reservation, whose annual "fireworks season" is the subject of filmmaker Bryan Gunnar Cole's Boomtown. Featured on PBS's illustrious P.O.V. series, Boomtown is a consistently engaging and thought-provoking, if not even-handed, look at the operations of several fireworks stand owners and operators (who legally sell fireworks on the rez that are illegal to light off in non-Indian jurisdictions) during the financial make-or-break week before the 4th of July. Combining cinema vérité footage with individual interviews, the camera flits in and out of the stands of, among others, Big Moe (who dispenses Christian theology along with the Red Devil Fireworks); first-timers Kip and Celeste Miller, who are taking a big gamble on a new stand; and Bennie's Jets, run by the outspoken Suquamish tribal chairman Bennie Armstrong, who quickly emerges as the "star" of the show. As the Millers experience the "2nd of July nerves" over the lack of customers, Armstrong remains calm, knowing that the lion's share of business will happen on the 4th itself. What makes Boomtown more than just a slice-of-entrepreneurial-life, however, is Armstrong's generally incisive commentary about the controversial 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott, tensions between Indian and non-Indian reservation residents, and the sad irony inherent in the fact that Armstrong and others "sell fireworks to celebrate a country that oppresses us." The film ends with a literal bang during a beautiful 4th of July fireworks celebration, but a bit of a narrative whimper as tribal members clean up the mess the day after (a somewhat misleading scene: I drive through this area every other week; the debris along the highway near some stands is still there as of mid-October). Perhaps because I live nearby, I'm well aware that the issues are not as cut and dry as Armstrong presents them (and the film offers no real opposing viewpoints); still, Boomtown has its genuine merits as a portrait of Native American culture with which most Americans are unfamiliar, and is often just as funny as it is serious (I loved the very likeable Armstrong's response to his kids' complaint about the stand's shabby signs: "some of that plywood has sentimental value for me"). Recommended. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)
Boomtown
(2002) 53 min. $295. UC Extension Media. PPR. Color cover. Volume 17, Issue 6
Boomtown
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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