‘War Pony’ Review: Riley Keough Shows the Everyday Realities of Reservation Life
variety.comPeter Debruge Chief Film CriticIf Larry Clark had ever found his way onto the Pine Ridge Reservation, he probably would have come away with a film like “War Pony,” which observes its young Native American characters hustling, skating and stealing drugs from otherwise distracted adults.
Presenting such behavior without judgment, first-time directors Gina Gammell and Riley Keough developed this unvarnished portrait in collaboration with their actors, capturing something at once tragic and true about these kids, who are torn between Oglala Lakota traditions and the consumer culture around them.A few years older than the hero of Chloé Zhao’s recent “The Rider” — a movie this one can’t help but resemble, at least superficially — Bill (Jojo Bapteise Whiting) is like the slacker version of that American dreamer.
He siphons gas from strangers’ tanks and goes around asking people if they want to buy a stolen PlayStation. He already has two kids by two different women.
One’s in prison, the other doesn’t answer his calls. When Bill discovers a lost poodle in his yard, he returns it to the owner and discovers what becomes his latest hustle: If he can raise $1,000, the dog will be his; he’ll breed it and sell the puppies for several thousand dollars apiece.
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