The Education of Little Tree

Lacking fight scenes, explosions, and special effects, this movie is as charming as the Native American lifestyle it portrays. Eight-year-old (an adorable and energetic Joseph Ashton) Little Tree is a Cherokee orphan who lives with his Cherokee grandmother (Tantoo Cardinal) and white grandfather (James Cromwell) in the Tennessee backwoods, where Granma and Granpa teach him "The Way" of the Cherokee people and survive the Depression by making and selling whiskey. In about one year of his life, Little Tree learns about prejudice, violence, and death. But the loving relationships he builds with his grandparents, his friend Willow John (Graham Greene), and the Earth keep him smiling.

Based on the novel by Forrest Carter, this movie is gentle and simple. The mountains often echo with singing or laughter. The script uses a minimum number of words to maximum effect. Cromwell (Babe) speaks volumes with a look; Cardinal complements him with her solidity and kindness. Director Richard Friedenberg relies on the power of silence, keeping his scenes quiet and smooth, and he puts the focus on Little Tree's peaceful life, forsaking the evil-white-man-versus-Native-American route that would have been so easy.

-- Jumana Farouky