A great part of the films theme is related to honesty, both in the manner in which the characters are delineated and furthermore in its utilization of film location at the Coeur DAlene reservation which is truly in the middle of nowhere. It is clear in this film that the reservations are dilapidated and much of what the Indians own is unfair. Thomas and Victor later got a ride to the bus station by two young teen girls in a jalopy stuck in reverse. Before they permit the two young men in the car, they request a deal for the ride. Thomas is a visionary and a story-teller, who every so often drives Victor to interruption with his Shaman-like stories. Thomas proposes a story as trade and continues to turn out a story of Alvin Joseph as an activist Indian anti-war hippie in 967, to Victors dismay. To Victors grumbling this never occurred, Thomas just grins and a shrug of the shoulders. The two girls, Lucy and Velma then joke about passports and immunizations being essential to leave the rese
rvation and enter a foreign country. Though Thomas and Victor neednt bother with passports, they really are heading off to a different country when they leave the reservation. The characters dialogue about being a foreigner in their own country is not a far-fetched outlook. Representation of Native Americans in America always has the negative connotation of being outsiders and simply out of place.
During the ride to Phoenix, Victor and Thomas talk about what means being an Indian just as what being a human means. Furthermore, Victor is on a mission to make Thomas look more Indian. According to Baldonado, often we think of representation primarily as presence or appearance, where there is an implied visual component. This implies getting him to dispose of the geeky looking matching suit he wears and his braids. Victors concept of being Indian has a great deal to do with superficial looks, soon we as an audience see that Thomas is in contact with more established and older indigenous roots.