That this sometimes fascinating and occasionally tedious documentary is a Terrence Malick co-production (along with Natalie Portman) comes as no surprise: The Seventh Fire is a film in which geography and place have a sort of deterministic hold over the men and women. The setting is Minnesota's White Earth Indian Reservation, specifically a village called Pine Point, which is a bleak environment where petty crime leading to prison time seems to be a typical career path. Director Jack Pettibone Riccobono zeroes in on two main subjects: ruggedly handsome 37-year-old Rob Brown, a confessional poet, father, recidivist criminal, and coke fiend who is getting ready to go back to prison for some unnamed crime, and Kevin Fineday, an 18-year-old drug dealer and teenage dad who seems to be hopelessly caught in a downward trajectory just like Rob. Although Riccobono valiantly searches for signs of hope among the reservation ruins, there ultimately isn't much to be optimistic about. In a subtle surprise, however, Rob's macho exterior gives way to the poet inside: writing is his life-saving form of escapism, and he just might avoid becoming a victim at the hands of an uncaring system. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include deleted scenes (10 min.), director Jack Pettibone Riccobono's shorts “Killer” from 2009 (10 min.) and “The Sacred Food” from 2007 (6 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for this often powerful documentary.] (M. Sandlin)
The Seventh Fire
Film Movement, 76 min., not rated, DVD: $24.99, Sept. 27 Volume 31, Issue 6
The Seventh Fire
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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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