Wind River isn’t a complicated story. An Indigenous girl is murdered on a Reserve, and as is so common with the rest of the U.S. when it comes to Indigenous people, almost nobody cares. Add in a tracker who is struggling with his own grief and some incredible performances and you have a gut-wrenching story that looks at love, loss, justice and what connects us all, in spite of skin color or zip code.
There’s a scene in this movie that left me a complete emotional wreck. That’s how powerful the performances are.
Sandra Ruttan was a walking disaster in her formative years. At age eight she was hit by a car while riding her bike home and her head was cut open. Just before her ninth birthday she was running along the beach, landed on broken glass, and her foot was partially severed. The muscle had to be stitched back together, leaving some uncertainty about whether she'd walk again, and the doctor was so fed up with her screaming he told her if she didn't shut up he'd cut her foot off. She went to school with the doctor's son, and forever felt sorry for him.
After her tenth birthday she fell down a waterfall and almost drowned. Her later adventures have included being in Seville when they found 4.5 tons of explosives set to blow up the Semana Santa parade and being in a car crash in the Sahara Desert. There is absolutely no explanation for how she's managed to stay alive as long as she has. You can find some info about her on her website, but these days, she writes under a pseudonym and when present as Sandra, enjoys being a fangirl and cheerleader for great storytelling.
View all posts by Sandra Ruttan