“Neither Wolf Nor Dog” opens at Coral Cliffs Cinema 8 in Hurricane
By Omotola Lajubutu
“Neither Wolf Nor Dog,” an independent film that has broken records by being in U.S. theaters longer than any other movie released in a decade, opens Sept. 7 at Coral Cliffs Cinema 8 in Hurricane.
Dave Bald Eagle was left for dead during D-Day. Co-star Christopher Sweeney was awarded the Silver Star from the Gulf War. Yet it was co-star Richard Ray Whitman, who was never in the service, who spent the most days under fire during the 71-day occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973 where the government fired hundreds of thousands of bullets at American Indian Movement activists. Dave Bald Eagle had relatives at the infamous Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. The film’s climax was filmed at Wounded Knee, sacred ground for its stars. This wasn’t your average movie shoot.
Based on the best-selling Native American novel by Kent Nerburn, “Neither Wolf Nor Dog” takes audiences on a deeply moving road trip through contemporary and historical Lakota life and culture. Its humor is wry and pulls no punches, introducing deep characters and poignant vignettes that challenge the viewer to see the world a bit differently. Star Dave Bald Eagle died at the age of 97 before the film was released. For a time, his obituary was the most read feature in the world on the BBC. NPR’s All Things Considered team debated whether Bald Eagle was “the world’s most interesting man.”
The film has steadily rolled out through the nation, remarkably passing over the 160th theater mark within only 15 percent of the country. In Vancouver, Washington, the film outgrossed 11 of the 12 summer blockbusters playing in town. It was one of two best performing films of the year at the theater. The film now returns to Utah to play at Coral Cliffs Cinema 8 in Hurricane after it was requested by passionate local fans of the novel. Oklahoma Film Critics Society’s Louis Fowler named “Neither Wolf Nor Dog” the No. 1 film of 2017.
The success of Scottish director Steven Lewis Simpson’s adaptation of best-selling novel “Neither Wolf Nor Dog” defies logic — Hollywood logic, that is. It was audience financed within 18 shoot days and had a tiny crew, a 95-year-old star, and a self-distributed release that started in small towns and is outperforming Hollywood blockbusters in numerous multiplexes. It has a higher audience score on Rotten Tomatoes than any big Hollywood movie out at the moment: 4.7/5 and 95 percent. The film has become the most successful non-Hollywood Native American film in years. The unprecedented success lead to Simpson being asked to give the first ever TEDx Talk about film distribution.
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