A Native American brother and sister navigate life on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation in this dreamy, closely-observed drama from Beijing-born director Chloe Zhao. Johnny (John Reddy), a high school senior, thinks he might want to be a boxer, but he's mostly interested in raising enough money to move to Los Angeles with his girlfriend, Aurelia (Taysha Fuller), who plans to attend college while he works. To relax, Johnny rides horses, gets high, and spars with his younger sister, Jashaun (Jashaun St. John). Although he visits his older brother Kevin (Kevin Hunter) in prison, his born-again mother (Irene Bedard) has largely given up on her elder son. For money, Johnny smuggles alcohol onto the dry reservation. Johnny also flirts with a partner in crime, who isn't disinterested, although she's also involved with someone else. To make money of her own, Jashaun helps a heavily-tattooed artist sell his hand-appliquéd merchandise. When their birth father dies in a house fire, Johnny and Jashaun mourn the man they never really knew, along with several half-siblings, although Johnny considers their stepfather more of a real parent. As he arranges to leave town, Johnny worries about Jashaun, who will be losing her best friend and protector. Songs My Brothers Taught Me features a lot of plot strands, and the dialogue can be affected, but Zhao keeps her focus on the central characters, and Reddy and St. John establish a sympathetic and convincing rapport. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)
[Blu-ray Review—Sept. 9, 2021—Kino Lorber, 93 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $29.95—Making its Blu-ray debut, Songs My Brothers Taught Me (2015) features a fine transfer and extras including an interview with director Chloé Zhao, deleted scenes, and bloopers. Bottom line: many will be eager to see Oscar-winning director Zhao’s (Nomadland) debut feature on Blu-ray.]