Frybread Face and Me

Loved every second of this movie. To hear the Dine language felt nourishing to the soul. I truly enjoyed watching shimásání weave and her telling the stories to Dawn whilst Benny was observing. How he talked about his dreams about his shimásání was heartfelt for me... My husband spend some years on a res in yucca valley and I kept seeing his expressions, I could tell he's had similar experiences growing up. The actors were beautiful and wonderful. I would love to see more movies like this. I enjoyed the slow pace and lack of "action" some people complained about. Recommending this to my friends.

This film seems autobiographical in premise but may be fictionalized to a degree. It's about Benny, a California-raised Native American boy's, childhood summer spent with his grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins on a Navajo reservation in Arizona. The acting is first rate, and the audience can easily feel empathy for the characters, despite some of them harshly criticizing and insulting each other without much provocation. Aside from an uncle's injury and a few family revelations, not much of great note happens with the plot. It's mostly a dialog driven and introspective movie that has many slow moments despite its short runtime. Viewers in the mood for a slow paced, introspective, and melancholy film may enjoy this movie. The acting carries it far, and its multi-faceted theme of a child figuring out his identity makes it an interesting coming of age movie.

Highly recommend, a very poignant look at reservation life in Arizona. This touching, coming of age film was well scripted and set in a very realistic, simple and honest way. The relationships were sometimes harsh but felt true, really it reminded me of spending time with my Granny as a young boy. I never knew native people celebrated a baby's first laugh, wishing we had done something like that with our children. I'll definitely be doing that for my grandkids one day. Side note - The other thing my wife & I thought was kinda cool is that we've been to the gas station in that movie 4-5 times when we were traveling in the RV.

Frybread Face And Me is wonderfully entertaining - each character has their own aspect within the story that truly engaged me. From the wise old grandmother, who you come to respect the moment she is introduced to the young aunt, who you find truly charismatic. I was rooting for her success almost immediately. This story follows a young boy connecting with his roots as a Navajo, spending his summer with his grandmother, cousins, aunts and uncles. He unexpectedly finds that he is eager to understand his culture, despite his hesitance at his arrival. It is a fantastic story about family, generations, and tradition. The film is told from a man's perspective of his childhood; his memories are something many children can easily relate to. The boy in the film is extremely curious and innocent at his age, playing with toys regularly and generally enjoying his childhood in any way he can. The story is very easy to follow, the narrator is a perfect way to introduce characters and situations clearly. Each character is lively and interesting enough that I truly stayed engaged throughout the entire story. The film's concept fits wonderfully for the intended age group; each course of action the main character takes is typical of what a child would do in the same situation. There is one scene in which graphic violence occurs - men riding bulls and getting hurt to the point of bleeding and bruising. The set is particularly impressive, as the accuracy of the reservation is astounding. The acting is also incredibly good - the children are easy to understand and sympathize with, which is a great feat for a young actor. The film encourages audiences to self-reflect on their own culture, how much they engage in and learn from it. The film's message is that culture is an important aspect of life; learning from it can be extremely beneficial to yourself as well as the people around you. I give Frybread Face And Me 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 18. It is available now in limited theaters and on Netflix. By Maverick C., KIDS FIRST!

Although I am not Navajo Indian, I grew up right on the edge of the Rez. As a child, I never appreciated the beauty of the land and its people, only desiring to leave it behind. The sights and sounds of this movie actually gave me the gift of understanding how much my life was affected by the People and their way of life. It was powerful in its slow simplicity. My graduating class in 1980 was 95% Dine' and only 45 of the 60 Seniors graduated. I wish I had been able to appreciate the honor I was given to live among - and visit with these beautiful people. I am proud that my brother married a Dine' and have four beautiful children whose Navajo mother and her family did their best to teach that serenity and culture to those youngsters.

I loved this film. The only thing that I didn't like was the subtitles sometimes weren't on long enough for you to read them. However, the boy taken from San Diego to live with his grandmother in Arizona to become a man is sweet and at sometimes funny. The relationships between the boy and his uncle, his aunt, his cousin and grandmother are intriguing as to how they evolve throughout the movie. The boy changes over and over in the film, being resistant to change and then not. Very sweet in his relationship to his cousin who was more like a mouthy big sister to him. The acting is very good and the script very believable.

This story reminds me of my childhood on the Navajo Reservation. Visiting my grandmother for the summer. Helping her around the house and herding sheep with her. When you are a kid you don't think about those things and take it for granted. This movies brought back great memories for me from those times. My kids and I enjoyed the movie. My daughter is learning to speak Navajo and translating some of the dialogue from the movie was great. The story was great and the young actors were amazing. Great cast of characters and I can't wait to see them in other shows/movies. It's nice to see Indigenous representation in shows and movies. Great movie and worth a watch for everyone in the household.

Frybread Face & Me is a wonderful film full of heartwarming moments and rich with cultural appreciation and honor for the Navajo family and traditions. It was funny, and it had touching moments of depth and beauty - bringing one to a place of what the Dinè lovingly call "Hozho." Benny's immersion into Rez life and the stark difference between living in San Diego and his visit with his grandmother provide an interesting viewpoint into modern Natives and the many struggles they face between life outside of the Res, and preservation and survival when living in the desert. I thought the way the movie moved forward to show the many facets of each family member and even the baby's first laugh ceremony was the most precious scenes that depicted a sacred celebration of a beautiful first for a baby. I loved this movie, and while it did bring some tears to my eyes here and there the overall message of the story made it entirely worthwhile.

I loved this film. Building on a great script, the acting seemed true to the Navaho life it was portraying. The pacing of the film was perfect - each actor was given time to tell their story and grow their character. The cinematography was first-rate using lots of negative space to keep focus on the action while simultaneously inviting the viewer to enjoy the expansive landscape. When I travel I like to go on "immersive" trips where it is less about the famous attractions and more about getting to know the locals in conversation and shared activities. "Frybread" is like taking that same type of trip without having to back a bag or buy a ticket.