- published: 15 May 2016
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Smoke Signals (1998) is an independent film directed and co-produced by Chris Eyre and with a screenplay by Sherman Alexie, based on the short story "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona" from his book Lone Ranger and Tonto: Fistfight in Heaven. It won several awards and accolades, and was well-received at numerous film festivals. It is rated PG-13 for "Some intense images" by the MPAA.
The story centers on Victor Joseph (Adam Beach) and Thomas Builds-the-Fire (Evan Adams) on the Coeur D'Alene Indian Reservation in Plummer, Idaho. Thomas is an eccentric tribe storyteller and Victor is an angry, brooding local basketball star.
The two young men are linked through Victor's father, Arnold (Gary Farmer). Arnold rescued Thomas as an infant from a house fire that killed his parents. Consequently, Thomas considers him a hero. On the other hand, Victor, who endures Arnold's alcoholism, domestic violence, and eventually abandonment, regards his father with both deep love and bitter resentment. Thomas and Victor grow up together as neighbors and acquaintances, fighting with each other and simultaneously forming a close, albeit uneasy, alliance.
In a desperate search for words
I am given a chance to breathe
It's the calm before the storm
It's my reason for everything
I'm sharpening a pencil on my writers block
To use when the words stop
I'll cut loose the cords that cut into me
To grow some thicker skin and shed insecurity
From outside I hear the echo of those empty words
I'm setting fire to that place I've built for my concerns
I'm not about to act surprised by actions when I'm desperate