ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

When it was published in 1995, Adrian C. Louis' Skins finally gave voice to the unspoken difficulties plaguing contemporary Native Americans: poverty, unemployment, alcoholism, and domestic abuse. An award-winning poet and teacher at Pine Ridge's Oglala Lakota College, Louis had seen first-hand the devastation wrought by the U. S. government's longstanding policies of colonialism and assimilation. That he was able to imbue such brutally tragic themes with humor, affection and hope was a testament to his people's enduring spirit of pride and community. It was also what initially drew Eyre to the novel as he weighed possible material for his follow-up to Smoke Signals.

"I fell in love with the paradox of Skins, that it was funny and dark at the same time," says Eyre. "The humor is so real, very rural and on the nose. And I really wanted to make a movie about the social 'untouchables' that humanized them, to take Mogie and make him someone you love despite his blemishes. "

Though he considers himself, above all, a filmmaker who happens to be Indian, Eyre relishes the opportunity to bring Native-themed projects to the screen. "There is no representation of the contemporary Indian world in film because so far the commodity of Indians in cinema has been purely historical. I've invested a lot of time in this project because I love the characters and think they need to be seen by the world. "

A passion for challenging, unconventional filmmaking is something that Eyre shares with Jon Kilik, who has produced some of the most acclaimed independent cinema of the last 15 years, including Dead Man Walking, Pleasantville, Pollock, Before Night Falls and ten films with Spike Lee. Kilik first met Eyre in 1995 at the Sundance Directing Workshop, where he served as one of Eyre's industry mentors. The two hit it off immediately and agreed to find something on which to collaborate.

In 1999, a year after Smoke Signals' acclaimed feature release, Kilik optioned Skins for his Grandview Productions, which had recently signed an overall first-look deal with First Look Media. Like Eyre, Kilik was attracted to the book's unique setting and manifold issues. "It unveils a world that most people don't know exists even though it's in our own backyard. "

Over the next year, Eyre worked with Jennifer Lyne who wrote a screenplay faithful to the novel's parallel strains of humor and tragedy. Honoring Skins' powerful climax was vital to examine. "I usually look for endings, for something that inspires me to do a middle, which is the tough part. It's much easier to build a bridge if you have a great ending. "

Next, the filmmakers set about assembling their cast, taking full advantage of the large pool of Indian talent in both the U. S. and Canada. Happily for Eyre, SKINS' predominantly Native characters gave him occasion to employ a large group of actors in some uncommonly realistic parts.

For the starring role of Rudy, Eyre turned to friend Eric Schweig, who most recently had co-starred in Walt Disney Pictures' Tom & Huck opposite Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Brad Renfro. After reading the script, Schweig put himself on tape and sent it to Eyre and Kilik. "Eric brought a tremendous amount of humanity and compassion to the part," says Kilik.

"I like Rudy because he makes what he thinks are good, sound, moral judgements, but finds out that they're really the biggest mistakes he'll ever make in his life," says Schweig. A recovering alcoholic, himself, Schweig also identified with Rudy's complex relationship to Mogie. "He's slowly watching his brother die of alcoholism and that's what I had done before, with time as a trigger. Ultimately, though, the film is about redemption and love and how everybody sticks together no matter what. "

It was while doing a drive-along with a Pine Ridge police officer six months prior to filming that Schweig fully grasped SKINS' broader significance. "About half-way through the day we realized that we were in the middle of America surrounded by Third World conditions. I thought, 'The Lakota are probably the most famous Indians in the world, and they're living in squalor. ' That's part of the reason I wanted to do this because it brings that out in the open, which has never been done in a feature film. Hopefully, once people start paying attention to the problems in our community, things will evolve. "

From the beginning, Eyre and Kilik both envisioned Graham Greene in the pivotal role of Mogie. A veteran of more than 50 films, including his recent award-winning turn in The Green Mile, Greene possessed that rare combination of intensity and humor vital to Mogie's character. So certain was Greene's agent that he would accept such a meaty part, she signed the contract before he'd even had a chance to read the script. It was one unilateral decision for which Greene is thankful.

"I haven't been able to stretch as an actor for a long time and this is a really tough nut to chew on; I'm pulling a lot of muscles with Mogie. It's difficult to conjure up that darkness inside, but what I like about Mogie is that he always keeps his sense of humor, right up to the end. "

Greene also sees in Mogie, and in the film itself, an opportunity to begin a process of recovery by laying bare some of the harsh realities of Native American life. "There are too many bandages over all of this stuff, too many band-aid solutions. SKINS goes right to the heart. It offers people a reflection of some pretty gruesome conditions, but it takes them there gently, and with humor. It's a brutal piece to do, but a healing one, too. "

To round out the rest of the cast, Eyre and Kilik worked with casting director René Haynes, who brought together a gifted ensemble of veteran and up-and-coming Native American actors. Falling squarely in the latter category is Noah Watts, who portrays Mogie's teenage son, Herbie. For Watts, the rewards of being cast were twofold: to begin showcasing his talent, and to offer audiences some understanding of Indian life.

"I didn't grow up on a reservation, so I can't say I speak for that experience, but I visit family on the Crow reservation every year, and have seen that life as an observer. Maybe this will open people's eyes to some of the hardships of the reservation, and to some of the beauty. " Watts' affinity for Herbie is much more elemental. "Herbie has had a lot happen to him at an early age. He's a coming-of-age character, striving through his father's alcoholism. I've gone through some of the same losses, so I feel pretty close to him. "

It's hard to imagine anyone feeling closer to their character than Lois Red Elk, who plays Aunt Helen, Yellowshirt matriarch and the glue that holds Rudy, Mogie and Herbie together. "I seem to have fit in real well because I'm from the Sioux tribe, and the book was written by a dear friend of mine. In fact, when Skins first came out, I told Adrian it should be a movie. "

A member of the Screen Actors Guild for more than 30 years, Red Elk brought with her decades of dramatic experience, and a wealth of knowledge about Sioux history and custom, which the filmmakers eagerly utilized. "The crew were very kind about accepting my input. For Mogie's funeral, I suggested a costume based on what traditional Sioux people would wear to a wake. "

For the role of Rudy's love interest, Stella, the filmmakers knew they had to cast someone who could match the intensity of Schweig's Rudy. In Michelle Thrush, they found both a strong actress and a vocal advocate for Native women. "Our history depicts the men's side of the story, the male warriors. I think the women now are becoming more recognized and that's something I think Stella brings with her. She's very aware of her power as a woman, but not afraid to show that she's also vulnerable. "

Veteran actor Gary Farmer, who co-starred in Smoke Signals, was so eager to work again with Eyre and longtime friend Graham Greene, he agreed to play Mogie's friend Verdell Weasel Tail, who only appears in one scene. "I wanted to be here as much as I could for Chris' second film. I'm amazed that he makes the scenes work without overdirecting. Graham and I are from the same community and worked together in theater for years. We did a play in Toronto that was very similar to this, about a group of dysfunctional men trying to recover what life they have left and move ahead. "

For Elaine Miles, the role of Rondella Roubaix offered a chance to move beyond the naïve sweetness that made her a running favorite on CBS' "Northern Exposure. " "Rondella has real attitude and a gutter mouth. That's very different than 'Marilyn,' so I got to break out a little. " She also sees SKINS as an important step forward for Native filmmakers in the U. S. "In Canada, they have Indian directors and writers on their weekly television series. Here in the states, we're still trying to get a foot in the door and keep it there. "

With the cast in place, the filmmakers began making their case for a South Dakota-based production. Although the financiers wanted SKINS to be shot in Canada to hold down costs, Eyre and Kilik were adamant that the film's authenticity hinged on remaining true to the novel's palpable sense of place. "This movie defines what the word 'skins' means to Indians," says Eyre, "so the Pine Ridge Reservation was the only place to make it. "

Working in conjunction with the South Dakota Film Commission, Eyre and Kilik set up a series of meetings with Pine Ridge locals and the Sioux Tribal Council to allay concerns about the production's impact on the community and the controversial subject matter. In particular, the film's uncompromising look at the Whiteclay liquor industry touches on a long-running debate about the relationship between border towns and beer sales to Indians on the officially "dry" reservation. The village of Whiteclay, Nebraska has through decades of controversy, served as the major supplier of beer to the adjacent reservation, where sales and possession of alcohol are prohibited. As such, the village of 22 people and 4 beer outlets is known for selling about 4 million cans of beer a year. In the end, though, Pine Ridge embraced the SKINS production team, with some of the locals even joining the crew.

"To shoot here in Pine Ridge, where no movie has ever been filmed, and have the community open its arms to something that is very serious and challenging, is a testament to the spirit of the project," says Eyre of the experience.

Shooting on the Pine Ridge Reservation brought with it an added benefit beyond verisimilitude - a deep and enlivening sense of spirituality. With so much of the film delving into dark, often painful terrain, the largely Native cast and crew found it beneficial to honor their surroundings with traditional Indian rituals, burning sage and sweetgrass on the set, for instance, to purify the air. For Graham Greene, the spiritual component came down to a matter of respect, "To come in here and do something without thanking the spirits, you're not doing a service to yourself or the project. "

For the film's Mount Rushmore climax, the filmmakers had to secure permission from the U. S. Parks Service, not a certainty given that the scene involves defacing a national monument. Ever since its construction on a sacred Indian mountain, Mount Rushmore has served as a symbol of cultural enslavement and genocide to many Natives, a fact to which Parks' officials proved sympathetic. "People here know that this is a sensitive issue for the Indian community," says Kilik, "and that their part of the story deserves to be told. "

To a person, the cast and crew of SKINS credit Eyre - whose laid-back demeanor belies a focused intensity - with making the experience a deeply satisfying one, both professionally and personally. "All you have to do is take one look at Chris and that huge smile on his face," says Schweig. "Anger looks strange on him because he's so happy. "

Greene, who regularly edited his lines, was impressed by the creative freedom Eyre granted his cast. "Chris is a pliable director. He gave us a lot of room to improvise and to take our characters where we thought they ought to go; that's a luxury. "

The Sioux people refer to themselves as "Lakota," which translates as "allies" or "friends," a theme echoed repeatedly on the SKINS' set. For everyone involved, the film offered an opportunity to forward the cause of Indian self-representation and, in so doing, to give something back to the community. Perhaps Lois Red Elk, whose lengthy career affords her a telescopic view of the evolution in Native cinema, best encapsulates the experience: "When I first started, everyone was portraying us except us, everyone was writing about us except us. I've seen a lot of changes and this project is wonderful - Native actors, a Native director, and a Native book about my people. This is heaven. "