Customer Reviews

The Doe Boy [VHS]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Talk about movies that slip under the radar! Almost nobody heard about Doe Boy and there really isn't a good - or acceptable reason.

Slowly paced this very gentle film packs an emotional wallop few films with bigger budgets, more stars and loftier stories could hope to achieve. Doe Boy is about Hunter - a boy with an American Indian mother and white father. Hunter is a hemophiliac, a disease seemingly unknown to Native American's. His macho father (a terrific performance by Kevin Anderson) loves his son, but is let down by the boy's inability to be more physically active because of the disease. As the film traces Hunter's story from childhood through his late teens, we see the difficulty of the relationship between he and his father straining and the inability of his mother to let him go and be the man he needs to be.

James Duval gives a performance that is positively incandescent. With relatively little dialogue, and through facial features, body language he fills Hunter with a sense of defiance and the need for acceptance, and the struggle of being different, in more ways than one. Acceptance and understanding do not come easy, but with the aid of his wise grandfather, a beautiful girl, and coming to grips with his heritage and nature, Hunter's journey is one that everyone should be able to relate to.

An amazing, nearly perfect movie.

I won't attempt to summarize the plot because as the editorial reviewer notes, it is difficult to do so without the movie sounding cheesy or trite. But suffice it to say that the acting is top-notch and the actors do not force their performances like some do in indie films. The direction by Randy Redroad is outstanding; he doesn't resort to gimmicky angle shots to highlight the mystical elements of the story. And finally, the musical score and songs are quite moving and will have you rewinding just to hear them again. Highly recommend you use 85 minutes of your life and watch this film.

This carefully crafted drama is about Hunter, a Cherokee teenager in Oklahoma. His name is ironic-- he longs to be a good hunter and win the approval of his white father, but his first shot as a child brought about humiliation. He mistakenly kills a doe, earning him the childhood nickname, Doe Boy. Set in the 80's, Hunter is caught between many worlds-- the white world and the Indian world, childhood and manhood, the old red road and newly paved road.

Symbolism abounds but is never cheesy or overt; for example, Hunter has hemophilia, a disease that keeps his blood from clotting-- a "white disease." This affliction is closely tied into many things in his life-- his struggle to belong, his fear of vulnerability, his inner strength, the tension in his relationship with his father.

The story is subtle but incredibly strong and emotionally-charged. It's about the struggles of self-identity, father-son relationships, reconciliation, and healing. There is no melodrama or cliche in this film-- it's entirely refreshing. The dialogue is terrific-- often hilarious, never trite. James Duval totally possesses his character and draws you into Hunter's story-- his performance is really beautiful. I'd like to say that anyone at all who's mixed-blood in some way can strongly relate to this story, but I think its detailed uniqueness actually reaches that point of being universally accessible. I don't think anyone can see this film without relating with Hunter or caring immensely what happens. This is one of those 'must-see/must-have' films for anyone who values good stories.

From what I was told, the novel from which this film was based was quite beautiful and moving. If it is anything like this movie, I would definitely read it. The performances were strong, the story was engaging, and the struggles that Hunter, the main character, must go through, living between two worlds--the world of the Whites and the world of the Natives--is noble and heartwrenching to watch. How can he possibly "become a man" in the way his White father sees fit--through becoming a fine hunter (hence, the name)--when he can only shoot a doe? This also crosses over to his mother's culture, where shooting does is the ultimate sin because they symbolize fertility. Hence, the death of the doe is also the death of the generations. Hunter's generations may also be at risk for hemophilia, the disease he acquires--the White man's disease.

This film tackles everything--breaking away from family, self definition, first love and the epidemic of HIV.
I definitely reccomend it. It is a fine film, and be sure to have Kleenex handy when you watch it. It is a real tearjerker.

The Doe Boy is sensitive and sweet, with a moving portrayal by James Duval. As both a family melodrama and a coming of age story, it shows family and cultural friction among its characters. The soundtrack is also very good, with tracks by Robbie Robertson among others. Definately worth more than one viewing.

This is a well-acted movie about a boy growing into a young man who is half Native American, half Caucasian living in Oklahoma, probably on a reservation.

The story focuses on conflicts the young man, Hunter or Doe Boy, has with his father, culture and dealing with a "white man's disease," hemophilia.

The characters are realistically portrayed in the sense of having good and bad characteristics, no one is either saintly or evil. His father loves him, yet is bitter about the disease preventing their closeness in shared activities. His grandfather, who lives in the same community, is understanding and very supportive. Some experiences the grandfather has had and the grandfathers Native American roots are important in enriching the story.

The boy becomes 18 and moves out and has some experiences that are essential to his growing up. There is the possibility that he has Aids, due to blood products he received for medical treatment, and he has some other unique experiences and develops relationships that add to his personal growth. The story ends when he is still 18 and at an unresolved crisis in his life.

This would be especially enjoyable for a person with an interest in Native American culture, conflicts of an inter-racial background or just enjoys the "coming-of-age" genre.

I loved this movie when it was being shown on cable television and couldn't wait to add it to the library. It's a well written and creative story-line with very few of the usual stereotypical props of many of the other native-inspired films of today. It definitely is a movie that speaks universally of important issues to the public at large as well as more specifically to a smaller population of individuals seemingly isolated by illness. It's refreshing to watch a predominately native group of people who do not live within the confines of the reservation or reservation living being one of the driving themes. The writer has placed these people within the confines of everyday life with everyday problems. There is racial content, but, again, it is handled in a whole new manner and perspective. The musical score is wonderfully written and compliments the film. I also love the fact that the ending of the story is not clearly defined and left up to the interpretation of the individual. It's a great movie with a wonderfully talented cast. I hope to see more from Randy Redroad in the future.

As a growing boy becomes a young man, an internal change must parallel the outward transformation of the body. In this film, the protagonist finds himself between two worlds that oppose one another. His grandfather offers him a link to cultural traditions that his father doesn't really value. In the midst of this battle of ideas, he must find himself and outgrow childhood trauma. The disappointments of his father mean to become his own and a weakness in his own body presents a deadly serious trial. The Doe Boy is a film that successfully portrays the unique story of a young man facing the crisis of maturity and adulthood. It is on each of us to navigate the end of childhood and the voices that guide us are rarely our own. This is a story with profound reflections on the nature of family and the path to independence and growth.

It's rough growing up in any culture when you're different, especially so in the Cherokees where proving yourself is so critical. And in this story, doing the wrong thing could prove fatal.

Hunter (Andrew J. Ferchland as young boy and James Duval as man) is a Cherokee boy with hemophilia. His mother (Jeri Arredondo) wants to shelter him and his Dad (Kevin Anderson) wants to treat him like a regular warrior. That includes learning to hunt deer.

When Hunter accidentally shoots a doe instead of the manliness proving buck, he's earned the insulting name "Doe Boy". As his Grandfather says, "He wanted a story to tell the rest of his life."

"Doe Boy" is an independent film, written and produced by Randy Redroad. The filming takes place in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, which is Cherokee country and a beautiful place. Acting, music, scenery are all good. Just a well-told.

Rebecca Kyle, August 2008

I enjoyed this movie, it was a bit slow moving in places but the overall theme and feeling of the movie did not get lost.