Taylor Sheridan’s debut film as a director tackled the atrocities committed against Indigenous women, both on and off reservations. Wind River, a neo-Western film by Sheridan, took place on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming and explored the murder investigation of Natalie Hanson. While Sheridan’s film received positive reviews, it was also subjected to heavy criticism for casting White leads.
Sheridan found the outrage against his film as fake, sharing that Native Americans lauded the film. He shared that he had the blessing of the community from the Reservation to tell the story in a certain way. However, critics still lambasted him for the casting.
Taylor Sheridan Dismissed Wind River Criticisms, Claiming It Was An Authentic Portrayal
Taylor Sheridan’s strongly-themed independent film, Wind River, followed a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tracker and an FBI agent, played by Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen. During the film’s theatrical release in 2017, Sheridan gave an interview with Motion Pictures, where he opened up about criticism of the film.
He shared that he chose the subject matter because he had spent a lot of time on reservations and had several friends there. He revealed that he directed the film (his first proper directorial debut not counting 2011’s Vile) because he couldn’t trust another director with this specific issue. While he took great care in presenting the issue in the film, Sheridan was still bashed by critics.
Sheridan told the outlet that the biggest criticism was the two main leads of the film, who were White. He dismissed the criticism of cultural appropriation, sharing that he wanted the film to be an authentic representation. He revealed that an FBI Agent responding to a crime in the reservations is almost never Native American.
Sheridan also claimed that Native Americans were satisfied with the film and even gave him a standing ovation when the film premiered at the Sundance Festival. However, it was the non-Natives who vilified him for the same. He shared with Motion Pictures:
The big criticism is that we made the two stars White. And yet one of the elements is that an FBI agent responding to a crime is almost never Native American. I wanted it to be an authentic representation.
It was frowned upon for me to tell a story of Native Americans. I was vilified for that, but not by Native Americans. I was called out for that at Sundance. But I got a standing ovation from the Native Americans in the audience. I was writing with a foot in both worlds.
According to The Numbers, Wind River was a commercial success after collecting $45 million at the box office against a budget of $11 million. The film’s distribution rights were transferred during its theatrical run, when Harvey Weinstein was accused of s*xual abuse. Lionsgate acquired it from The Weinstein Company.
Taylor Sheridan’s Wind River Did Receive Criticism From Native Americans
In a September 2017 article for the High Country News, Native commentator Jason Asenap was not impressed with White filmmakers taking on Native American subjects. While he praised Wind River for its focus on missing Native American women, he shared that it felt condescending for a non-Native writer to perpetuate the “dying Indians” trope.
Besides the larger criticism of casting White actors addressed by Sheridan, the film was also accused of casting non-Native actors in Native American roles. During the film’s promotion, Kelsey Asbille, who played Natalie Hanson, was advertised as Eastern Band Cherokee. However, the tribe issued a statement that she was not a member (via NextShark).
Sheridan also drew criticism from Native rights attorney Mary Kathryn Nagle for taking credit for the passage of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization Act (via Yahoo!).
Wind River is available for rent on AppleTV+.
