Finding Tatanka

Although many 1960s-era radicals would abandon their idealism over ensuing decades, Kit Bricca clung to his: after protesting against the Vietnam War and helping to form Amnesty International and the United Farm Workers of America, Kit moved from cause to cause, along the way changing his name from Chris Cougar to Buffalo to Tatanka. Filmmaker Jacob Bricca here attempts to reconnect with his activist father, catching up with Kit when he returns to California with his third wife. While Jacob is trying to make one film, Kit hopes to make 12, except he has no funding plans. Some of his friends also seem pretty nutty, such as the neighbor who claims a spiritual connection with Michael Jackson. Jacob asks his uncles about Kit, and they recall how Kit tried to please their strict father, but when the Vietnam War came along, Kit became more passionate about politics. Joan Baez (the famed folk singer) of the Institute for the Study of Nonviolence and Dolores Huerta of the UFW praise Kit's organizing abilities, but his first wife laments his inability to provide for their family. After their divorce, Kit remarried and found other causes, but money remained scarce. Kit worked as a commodities broker for a few years, but the stock market crash brought an end to that career, so he borrowed money and turned to new age ventures, such as an Idaho commune, followed by a variety of get-rich-quick schemes. Things finally seem to be looking up for Kit at the end, and if his son's documentary starts out on a critical note, it ends on a more empathetic one. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)