Father's Day Movie Pix - Smoke Signals

Rather than the ties and "collect calls" fathers usually get on their appointed day, why not think out of the box this year. Buy or rent the video, Smoke Signals, and spend some quality time with dad on Father's Day watching this movie.

Smoke Signals is a wonderful independent film, loosely based on characters found in Sherman Alexie's collection of short stories, "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven." It delves into some of the realities of single parenthood, alcohol abuse, family dysfunction, and child abandonment issues, but somehow, it manages to be an entertaining, optimistic comedy with a serious subtext.

Smoke Signals ends with a moving narration of "When do we forgive our fathers? In our time or in their time?" This question resonates deeply with adolescents and adults who live with family dysfunction daily. This movie takes a sympathetic look at a defeated man, haunted by the shadows of the past, unable to provide the emotional or practical support for his wife and son.

The visual and verbal imagery of Smoke Signals is masterful. This film has lots of heart and lots of laughs with wonderful characters. It will leave you saying, "Hey, Victor. Tell me about your dad," long after the movie is over.