| Roots | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Klee Benally |
| Produced by | Klee Benally Tom B.K. Goldtooth |
| Written by | Klee Benally |
| Starring | Forrest Goodluck Geraldine Keamus Tatanka Means Zendaya Jorge Lendeborg Jr. Miles Heizer |
| Score by | Klee Benally |
| Edited by | Keiko Deguchi |
| Production company | Searchlight Entertainment TSG Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Searchlight Pictures |
| Release date | June 3, 2033 |
| Country | United States |
Roots would be a 2033 film written and directed by Klee Benally, and produced by Benally and Tom B. K. Goldtooth. Produced by TSG Entertainment and distribuited by Searchlight Pictures, the film would star Forrest Goodluck, Geraldine Keamus, Tatanka Means, Zendaya, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., and Miles Heizer. The film would focus on a teenager from Native American descendance who struggles to balance his descendance and his modern lifestyle when his grand-mother moves to his house. Benally would also compose the film's score.
In early 2030, it would be reported that Goldtooth is set to produce a Native American-centered film at TSG Entertainment for Searchlight Pictures. In mid-2030, it would be reported that Benally joined the film as writer, co-producer, and director. In late 2030, it would be reported that Goodluck was cast in a lead role, while Keamus would join the cast in early 2031. Means and Zendaya would join the cast in mid-2031, and Lendeborh Jr. and Heizer would join the film's cast in late 2031. Filming would begin in early 2032, and would take place in Los Angeles, California, where the film is set. Benally would research about social interactions of people of Native American descendance in modern times for the film's plot.
Roots would be released in June 3, 2033, and would become a critical and commercial success. Critics would praise the film as "a beautiful exploration of the relation between origins and the present, and would praise it for its potrayal of Native Americans, directing, writing, performances (particularly Goodluck and Keamus), musical score, and editing. Critics would also note the film's cultural impact. The film would also earn 890 million dollars at the worldwide box office over a budget of 50 million dollars. Roots would earn tow Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay, as well as an Academy Award for Best Original Score, and a Golden Globe for Best Film.
Synopsis[]
In Los Angeles, California, a teenager named Aditsan, descendant of the Native-American Navajo tribe, lives a happy life in every way possible. He has good friends, people barely bully him, he has a great house, etc. However, one day, his grandmother, a traditional woman named Abay, moves in temporarily to his house due to hers requiring repairment. Soon, the traditionalist ways of Abay begin to interfere with Aditsan's life, costing him his friends, and causing him to be bullied for his Native American heritage. Aditsan, however, soon begins to see that one should not ignore his roots.
Cast[]
- Forrest Goodluck as Aditsan, a teenager an Navajo descendant whose life turns upside-down when his grandmother moves to his house.
- Geraldine Keamus as Abay, an old traditionalist woman and Aditsan's grandmother, who moves to his house when hers' has to be repaired, and accidentally begins to interfere with Aditsan's social life. Keamus would call Abay as "a stubborn and determined woman who is also very loving of her family", and would describe Abay and Aditsan' relationship as "the heart and center of the story".
- Tatanka Means as Ahiga, Adistan's father and Abay's grandson, who tries to appease both his mother and son.
- Zendaya as Ellie, an A-type girl at Bassett Unified School District and Aditsan's best friend. Zendaya would describe her as "a very real teenager".
- Jorge Lendeborg Jr. as Albert, a science lover at Bassett Unified School District and one of Aditsan's friends.
- Miles Heizer as Reginald, a bully at Bassett Unified School District, who begins to pick up on Aditsan when he starts to display more of his Navajo ancestry.
Additionally, Ming-Na Wen would play the principal at Bassett Unified School District.
Music[]
Director Klee Benally would also compose the film's score, marking his first time composing a score for a movie. Benally would explain that he choose to compose the score himself when he "couldn't find a Navajo composer, and since [he] is a Navajo guitarrist, [he] choose to compose the score himself instead". Benaly would describe his first time composing as "hard but easy at the same time. Hard because i had to write music that has to be performed by an orchestra, which [he] never did. But easy since, as the director, there's not a lt of trouble when imaginaning what music plays during the scenes".
Benally would describe his theme for Adistan as "the appropiate music for any teenager" but that "also allows more traditional Navajo music to be used in it" due to his character arc. In contrast, he would describe his theme for Abay "pure Navajo music in every way", while Benally's theme for Ahiga would be "half modern and half traditional Navajo music" to represent the character's torn nature. Benally would compose a theme for Elle that was "quick, very quick" to represent the character's Type-A personality. His theme for Albert would consist of technological instruments such as synthesizers to showcase his love for science. Benally would compose a "bombastic and mean-spirited, but not evil" theme for Reginald to showcase his personality as "a real bully".
Benally would also incorporate pop culture songs in the film "in order to remind the audience that these character are real teenagers.
Reception[]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film would have an approval rating of 96%, with an average rating of 9/10, based on 234 reviews. The website's critical consensus would read, "A refreshing, modern, and suprisingly non-offensive depiction of Native American culture, Roots provides a very thougth-provoking story with likeable characters and a great exposition to an old-but-still-exisiting-and-relevant culture". On Metacritic, the film would have a weighted rating of 87 out of 100, based on 50 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".
Trivia[]
- This would be the first film to be relased by Disney (throught its "Searchlight Pictures" subsidiary) to center enterily on Native American characters since the animated film Brother Bear (2003), as The New Mutants featured only one main character that is Native American.
- A poster of the Searchlight Pictures/TSG Entertainment film The Shape of Water (2017) would be seen in Aditsan's room.