Older than America (1:41) 2008

Older than America is one fantastic movie! This supernatural thriller takes place on the Fond du Lac Reservation in Minnesota, once the site of a Catholic run boarding school. The main character is Rain, an elementary school teacher, who begins to have dreams and visions of events long ago. This is very frightening for her as her mother has been residing in a psychiatric hospital since Rain was a little girl. Irene, Rain's mother, does not have a mental illness but was placed there for one sinister reason. The priest in charge of the boarding school wants to keep her quiet about the physical and sexual abuses which she witnessed as a student. The story is told in flashbacks that are both suspenseful and creepy. The ending is predictable but is also very moving with forgiveness and reconciliation as the main themes. The cast is comprised of well known Native American actors - Adam Beach playing the role of  Rain's husband, and Wes Studi as the radio voice of the rez. I recommend this movie for two reasons. Older than America is a movie that kept me in suspense, several times on the very edge of my seat. The second reason is this film shows the damage that was done to the Native Americans when their children were ripped from their families, institutionalized and treated poorly, while being forbidden to speak their native languages and practice their traditions in our attempt to extinguish their culture. In history, Native Americans were refered to as "savages" - this movie gives us pause to consider as to which people were the true savages.