Film Festival Reviews

2021 Newport Beach Film Festival Review: Tough Doesn’t Begin To Describe The Courage Of A Young Native American Woman In “Pure Grit”


 

“Pure Grit” is both a thrilling tale of extreme bareback horse racing and an intimate love story. Chronicling three years in the life of a young Native American bareback horse racer, her dogged determination, and the relationships that sustain her.

Director Kim Bartley’s entry in the 33rd Galway Film Fleadh won this film the Best Irish Feature Documentary. This is certainly not her first film award, there have been at least seven others at various festivals, and this is the only one of those I have had the opportunity to experience. As a result, however, I will be looking those others up to see how they compare to “Pure Grit.” The young woman at the center of this three-year chronicle defines those two words. Sharmaine Weed, who lives with her mother, sister, niece, and three brothers on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, is tough. Tough as the proverbial shoe leather. She shares with the audience the pain of sexual abuse, beginning at age eleven and continuing for four years. There have been detours along the way, including alcohol abuse leading to a citation for drunk driving.

She is a woman who carries her Indigenous heritage in her face, her profile, as well as in her life. She hunts with her brothers, cares for the family animals, and helps her mother attend to Sharmain’s sister who suffered a traumatic brain injury when she fell from a horse during a race and was struck by the horse behind. Brain surgery has left her paralyzed on her left side and she has a daughter named Keira who Sharmain helps her mom care for. Sharmain’s burdens seem endless and heavy and at times, hopeless. But her mantra is “I can never quit.” By “quit,” she means she will not be deterred from moving forward in her life. She is the first in her family to graduate high school, and she sees work as a means to her goal, Native American horse racing.

The connection between Sharmaine and the horse is time-honored. She and the horse are one. Like the horse, she is tough, spirited, determined, and beautiful. Sharmain’s often bulky clothing no doubt purposely hides her fragility as a woman sexually who suffered terrible abuse. When she first reported the abuse to her mother, she wasn’t believed. Atop her horse, leaning forward, no saddle to interfere, however, she is truly one part of a dazzling duo that supersedes the pain in her life.

Her story is captivating, impassioned, and wild, with breathtaking scenery to match. It is incredibly intimate as she unabashedly shares her love and friendship for Savannah, who she met on Facebook. As deeply as she loves Savannah, Sharmaine realizes they are opposites. She is everything Savannah is not. Though perhaps unable to put words to their differences, they are quite obvious and she senses that deeply. Savannah is needy and immature while Sharmaine is none of that. “Pure Grit” is a breathtaking look into a little unfamiliar and somewhat scary sport and also a portrait of young love. It presents the hardships of life on a reservation along with the beauty of the land and the endearments of a long-held tradition. I must admit, I watched it twice. Something I NEVER do. I’m not sure but I may watch it again.

 

“Pure Grit” recently premiered at the 2021 Newport Beach Film Festival

 

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Mildred Austin

I can remember being a girl fascinated by the original CINDERELLA and trying to understand that the characters weren’t REAL?? But how was that possible? Because my mom was a cinema lover, she often took me with her instead of leaving me with a babysitter. I was so young in my first film experiences, I would stare at that BIG screen and wonder “what were those people up there saying?” And then as a slightly older girl watching Margaret O’Brien in THE RED SHOES, I dreamed of being a ballerina. Later, in a theatre with my mom and aunt watching WUTHERING HEIGHTS, I found myself sobbing along with the two of them as Katherine and Heathcliff were separated forever. I have always loved film. In college in the ’60s, the Granada in Dallas became our “go-to” art theater where we soaked up 8 ½, THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY, WILD STRAWBERRIES and every other Bergman film to play there. Although my training is in theatre and I have acted and directed in Repertory Theatre, college and community theatre, I am always drawn back to the films.

I live in Garland and after being retired for 18 years, I have gone back to work in an elementary school library. I am currently serving as an Associate Critic for John Garcia’s THE COLUMN, an online theatre magazine and I see and review local community theatre shows for that outlet. I’m excited to have the opportunity to extend my experiences now to film and review for IRISH FILM CRITIC. See you at the movies - my preferred seat is back row!