In 1890, a massacre took the lives of 150 Lakota Sioux men, women, and children at Wounded Knee, on what is now the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The atrocity was committed by a U.S. Cavalry regiment that had been sent only to disarm the Sioux. These murders continue to haunt the Lakota people today, a legacy that can't be shaken but can be somewhat healed. Filmmaker Stephanie Gillard's often gorgeous and engaging documentary The Ride follows one important healing ritual: an annual, 300-mile horseback ride taken by Lakota cowboys, war veterans, and young people to Pine Ridge in remembrance of the long migration of the Lakota that originally brought them to the spot where they were slaughtered. With a straightforward narrative line—the long ride to a final destination—the filmmaker is free to witness and capture various sights, resulting in a wealth of beautiful shots of an extensive line of horses and riders traversing grassy plains and snowed-over hills at higher elevations. When the travelers stop for a night of rest, it is generally at a reservation where they spend time with children, telling stories, singing traditional songs, and doing what they can to bolster Native American identity. A fine documentary about coming to terms with an historic tragedy, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)
The Ride
(2016) 91 min. DVD: $375. Grasshopper Film. PPR. Volume 33, Issue 1
The Ride
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