''Neither Wolf Nor Dog'' is a feature film from Scottish director
Steven Lewis Simpson
Steven Lewis Simpson is an independent film and documentary filmmaker from Aberdeen, Scotland. Films include '' Rez Bomb', Neither Wolf Nor Dog, The Ticking Man, Retribution, Ties,'' the feature documentary ''A Thunder-Being Nation'' that wa ...
, adapted from
Kent Nerburn
Kent Michael Nerburn (born July 3, 1946 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American author. He has published 16 books of creative non-fiction and essays, focusing on Native American and American culture and general spirituality. He won a Minnesota Bo ...
's novel of the same name, which won a
Minnesota Book Awards
The Minnesota Book Awards are presented annually for books created by writers, illustrators or book artists who are Minnesotans. The award, originally established in 1988, is organized by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library.
History
...
in 1995.
[ The film's film festival premiere was at the ]Edinburgh International Film Festival
The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is a film festival that runs for two weeks in June each year. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all ti ...
in 2016. Simpson released it himself directly into US cinemas in 2017 and it is still in first-run cinemas in 2019, which makes it the longest first-run theatrical release in the US in over a decade. Due to the success of his self-distributed release, Simpson was asked to give a TEDx Talk
TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...
on his innovative distribution model. The film stars Chief Dave Bald Eagle in the lead role as a Lakota elder. He was 95-years-old at the time of filming and it was his first starring role in a film.[
The film also stars ]Christopher Sweeney
Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρει ...
as Nerburn, Richard Ray Whitman
Richard Ray Whitman (born 1949) is a Yuchi-Muscogee multidisciplinary visual artist, poet, and actor. He is enrolled in the Muscogee Nation and lives in Oklahoma.Lester, 619Lippard, 216
Early life and education
Whitman was born in Claremore, Okl ...
as Grover, Roseanne Supernault
Roseanne Supernault is a Canadian film and television actress, best known for her roles as Natalie Stoney in the television series '' Blackstone'' and as the title character in the 2013 film ''Maïna''. Originally from East Prairie, Alberta, she i ...
as the twins Wenonah and Danelle, Tatanka Means
Tatanka Wanbli Sapa Xila Sabe Means (born February 19, 1985) is a Native American activist, actor, boxer, comedian, and entrepreneur of Oglala Lakota, Omaha, Yankton Dakota and Diné descent. He is best known for his roles in ''Saints & Stranger ...
as Delvin, Zahn McClarnon
Zahn Tokiya-ku McClarnon (born October 24, 1966) is an American actor known for his performances in the Western crime drama series '' Longmire'', the second season of '' Fargo'', and the second season of ''Westworld''. In 2022, he played the le ...
as Billy and Harlen Standing Bear Sr as Jumbo.
The film was primarily shot on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation ( lkt, Wazí Aháŋhaŋ Oyáŋke), also called Pine Ridge Agency, is an Oglala Lakota Indian reservation located entirely within the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Gr ...
, which borders South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
and Nebraska as well as having scenes shot in Los Angeles and Rushville, Nebraska
Rushville is a city in Sheridan County, Nebraska, Sheridan County in the state of Nebraska, in the remote Nebraska Sandhills, Sandhills Region. Its population was 890 at the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census. It is the county seat of Sherida ...
. One scene was shot in the same remote trailer house as a scene in the acclaimed film The Rider.
The film is notable for a climactic scene shot at Wounded Knee where the script and the novel was thrown away and Dave Bald Eagle improvised the whole scene from his heart, as his family had a closer connection to the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890 than even the character he was playing. At the end of filming the scene he turned to Christopher Sweeney who was acting opposite him and said "I've been holding that in for 95-years". Dave Bald Eagle saw the film before he died and he said "it's the only film I've been in about my people that told the truth."
On Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
the film has an approval rating of 82% based on reviews from 17 critics.
Simpson has also self-distributed the film into other markets like Canada, the United Kingdom and Bulgaria
References
Year of work missing
Films based on American novels
{{US-novel-stub