Lisandro Alonso‘s Eureka is an atmospheric, contemplative film structured as a triptych that explores the experiences of Indigenous peoples across the Americas that spans time, geography, and history. 

The film opens with what appears to be a Western movie, starring Viggo Mortensen and Chiara Mastroianni, presenting the iconography of a genre often associated with the conquest of the American frontier. We are placed in a familiar world of cowboys, open landscapes, and standoffs. However, Alonso soon shows us this is not a narrative in itself, but a movie being watched on television in Pine Ridge Reservation in present-day South Dakota. This quick shift from the mythic past to the contemporary reality of Indigenous life sets the tone for the film and what Alonso wants us to reflect on – how Indigenous peoples are seen both by themselves and by the rest of the world.

At Pine Ridge, we see the community through the eyes of young Sadie (Sadie Lapointe), whose quiet but keen observations of her surroundings convey the lack of resources facing her community. The struggles of this community become more apparent as we follow Sadie’s sister Alaina (Alaina Clifford), a police officer who balances her duty to her people with the pressures of working within a system that has its limits to fully support the community. The contrast between the romanticized portrayal of the Old West on TV and the realities of life on the reservation today is stark and telling. Alonso reminds us that while the world moves on, Indigenous communities remain marginalized, with limited access to resources, opportunities, or external support.

From Pine Ridge, the film makes a significant narrative leap, shifting both time and space to the dense, remote jungles of Brazil, where another Indigenous community will undergo changes as well. When a pivotal event causes a young man from the Brazilian community to leave in search of work, the narrative shifts once again. The film slips into the 1970s, showing the larger historical context of Indigenous labour exploitation in Brazil. One can perhaps assume, the young man’s departure from his community is a metaphor for how Indigenous communities have been forced to leave their homes and cultural roots behind all the while industrialization, globalization, and modern economics demand assimilation. That is for each of us to ponder.

Cinematically speaking, Eureka is as stunning as it is thought-provoking. Alonso’s use of long takes and deliberate slow pacing allows viewers to sit with the film’s images, encouraging reflection on the broader themes at play. The cinematography captures both the open landscapes of Pine Ridge and the lush expanses of the Brazilian jungle with equal beauty.

While Eureka may be challenging for some viewers due to its slow pace and lack of a traditional narrative arc, it is my opinion that Alonso’s intention is to immerse us in a journey through time and space, to confront us with the realities of Indigenous life, and to leave us reflecting on the ways in which Indigenous peoples have been ignored, marginalized, or at times, forgotten by the rest of the world. As a work of art, it is a film that demands patience, but for those willing to engage, it will leave a lasting impression.

For those curious about additional thoughts on Eureka, I invite you to listen via the link below.