6.8/10
447
7 user 23 critic

Songs My Brothers Taught Me (2015)

With an older brother in jail and living with their single mother on Pine Ridge Reservation, Johnny and his sister Jashuan's lives develop new challenges when their absentee cowboy father ... See full summary »

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5 wins & 11 nominations. See more awards »
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Cast

Credited cast:
...
Jashaun St. John ...
...
Aurelia Clifford
...
Angie Britt
Travis Lone Hill ...
Travis Lone Hill
Cat Clifford ...
Cat Clifford
...
Kevin Hunter ...
Kevin Winters
Derrick Janis ...
Victor Chasing Hawk
Dakota Brown ...
Dakota Fire Thunder
Allen Reddy ...
Bill Britt
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Wambli BearRunner ...
Auntie Wambli
George Dull Knife ...
Jorge Iron Bear (as Jorge Dullknife)
Shamauri Hawkins ...
Mo
Lauren Janis ...
Lauren Janis
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Storyline

With an older brother in jail and living with their single mother on Pine Ridge Reservation, Johnny and his sister Jashuan's lives develop new challenges when their absentee cowboy father suddenly dies. The loss prompts Johnny to strike out for Los Angeles, but would mean leaving behind his beloved sister. Written by Red Haircrow

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Drama

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Release Date:

9 September 2015 (France)  »

Also Known As:

Les chansons que mes frères m'ont apprises  »

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Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,430, 6 March 2016, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$34,195, 8 May 2016
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Did You Know?

Trivia

On a DVD extra, director Chloé Zhao said of the tight budget, light plotting, and neo-realist style casting, "We're capturing truth - because truth is the only thing we can afford." The production used mostly local residents as actors, and, according to Zhao, 80% of the story depicted is true to the actual life of the young man playing Johnny Winters (John Reddy). The house that Winters lives in is the house that Reddy lived in, and Reddy, also one of twenty-five children to one father, has many of his real family members playing members of his family. In fact, the man shown delivering the eulogy for Winters' father is Reddy's actual father. See more »

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User Reviews

 
Beautiful debut and most underrated film at Sundance
7 February 2015 | by – See all my reviews

The first 45 minutes or so of Songs might fool you into thinking you're watching another well-made, indie Sundance movie. Good, but nothing special.

And then as if by magic, the movie sucks you into its universe. Seemingly disjointed pieces of story start blending together to create a beautiful whole, a story full of despair and of hope, of ugliness and beauty. It floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee, eschewing political or social commentary for a poetic, equally effective approach. A story of brotherly love in a stunning and tragic landscape.

I'm not ashamed to say the final moments brought tears to my eyes. Beautifully shot, understated but powerful, SONGS is a really impressive, mature debut, and should be on your watch-list for this year.


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