Young Lakota

Directed by Mairon Lipschutz and Rose Rosenblatt.

Bottom line: Interesting and satisfying documentary that doesn’t just focus on one particular issue.

3/4

Sunny Clifford grew up on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota. She went to college determined to get out of the poverty and never return. When she finished her degree, for some reason, she felt drawn back to her home. She wanted to make the world a better place, particularly for her people. The documentary was being filmed around the time South Dakota passed a law banning abortions. On the reservation, the tribe’s president - the tribe’s first female president - Cecilia Fire Thunder announced that she was going to open a clinic for women on her property which would provide abortions. Much like the rest of the country, the tribe was divided on the issue of abortion. As Cecilia didn’t consult the tribal council, she was impeached. The majority of the documentary focuses on Sunny as she develops her voice as a woman and as a Lakota.

This documentary doesn’t focus solely on the debate surrounding abortion, nor does it focus solely on the (wretched) quality of life on Native American reservations. Neither of these issues exists independently and Young Lakota presents the complexity of these issues quite well. A good example is with Sunny’s next door neighbor, Brandon, a full-time student of TV production with two kids. He initially supports Cecilia until he is offered a job to be the head of PR for a pro-life candidate. Brandon has to support his children on a barely minimum wage job. This PR position would be a pay increase but he disagrees with this future employer. Young Lakota does a good job of presenting this ethical dilemma in a realistic way. One might say he shouldn’t take the job because he is pro-choice but he must consider his children's wellbeing.

There are some issues with this documentary. The camera’s shadow and the microphone enter the frame here and there but such technical issues don’t detract too much from the experience. Although I liked the way Young Lakota presented a bunch of different issues, by doing so, it couldn't delve too deeply into any particular issue.

Overall, I'd say to check out Young Lakota. It is only about an hour long and it would be worth your time if you are looking for something to watch over dinner.