“[it] is a welcome and insightful portrait of Two-Spiritedness that uses
Sherente’s openness and resilience to explore a facet of both the rainbow
and Indigenous culture that remains under-examined in film and media.
Sherenté provides a worthy role model for queer youths…
Expect to see more from this strong leader soon.”
— Pat Mullen, POV Magazine
“An impressive depiction of the culture, as well as a powerful exploration
of a range of urgent themes”
— Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
“There are still vanishingly few films which touch on Native American issues
at all so this has significant value….”
— Jennie Kermode, Eye for Film
SYNOPSIS
In Indigenous cultures, a Two-spirit person embodies masculine and feminine qualities through many gender expressions informed by Indigenous traditions and community roles. BEING THUNDER, an Official Selection of Frameline, NewFest, The American Indian Film Festival and the Inside Out Film Festival, introduces this Native American role by focusing on the life and advocacy of Sherente Mishitahin Harris, a Two-spirit genderqueer teenager from Rhode Island’s Narragansett tribe.
Wearing traditional female dress, Sherente joyfully performs a traditional female dance in competition at Powwows around New England, but not everyone accepts Sherente’s inclusion in the “girls” category. BEING THUNDER is the stirring story of Sherente’s persistence, aided by love and unconditional support from peers and family. Facing biased Powwow judges to tackling college applications, Sherente shines through as a role model for youth worldwide to go against the grain and live their authentic selves with tenacity and grace.
French filmmaker Stéphanie Lamorré quietly documents Sherente’s life and family interactions over the course of several years, revealing the struggles and triumphs faced by the determined teen courageously navigating questions of identity, expression, and how to be one’s authentic self. BEING THUNDER is a stunning observational documentary and a rare example of a three-dimensional, Indigenous LGBTQ+ BIPOC story, demonstrating the need for far more on screen representation.
