Hey Viktor!

A washed-up former child actor who can’t seem to get his life together decides that the only way to get back on track is to recreate his glory days with a belated sequel to the landmark 1998 indie movie that put him on this path. Cue Smoke Signals 2: Still Smoking…

Cody Lightning (who played the young Viktor in Chris Eyre’s seminal Native American classic) has a lot of fun, mostly at his own expense, with this surprisingly edgy meta-mockumentary, and successfully reassembles many of the original cast, including Simon Baker, Adam Beach, Gary Farmer and Irene Bedard. For the most part, they’re (understandably) dubious about his project — only his best friend Kate (Hannah Cheesman) really believes. But Cody’s willing to do whatever it takes to make sure Lightning strikes twice. This dark and sometimes raunchy comedy suggests healing comes through laughter and chaos — not necessarily in that order.

Cody Lightning has captured so much of the raunchy and fun humour that is so much a part of Indigenous communities. His mockumentary style film made me laugh out loud and made me revisit the classic Smoke Signals after many years.

Corey Payette, Guest Curator

Free admission to Indigenous-identifying patrons