Navajo customs find a way to heal and reignite the strength of those in suffering and spiritual pain of what lingers in their heart, their mind, their body, their soul. But here, we have a film that questions and wrestles with the idea of how we feel out, process, and learn to forgive those who’ve done harm to us for no longer. FINDING HÓZHÓ, the newest film from writer/director/producer Travis Holt Hamilton, searches for that idea from within the protagonist Secody, a man whose silent dignity masks a history of childhood trauma left behind by the violence of his father, remembered as an angry and aggressive alcoholic. Now an older man, Secody is morally stuck on how to best care for his dying/bedridden elder father; he secretly wrestles with the emotional turmoil of not knowing how to confront his abuser and comfort his dying father. We jump back and forth between the present narrative and the 60s’ period flashbacks to show how Secody had to endure his father’s drunken rage(s), while also finding peace and serenity with his warm and loving grandfather, who teaches him the traditional Diné methods of beliefs and guidance. We see a different coin side of father figures within Secody’s life – one figure showing him what pain can bring by self-destruction, and another figure teaching what beauty and tranquility can be found with personal strength and faith rooted in traditional values. (A scene plays out in flashback with the grandfather and son looking after the depressed father, drowning in sorrow about his dead wife with a bottle; the grandfather tells his grandson, “Your father is not a bad man, he’s a broken man.” They carry him back home and spend the night traditional praying over him repeatedly, showing Secody what the bonds of family and holding hope in one’s beauty does for our health & growth.)
What stood out on top of the story with the film itself, the reviewer found the production value to be a crowning achievement; in particular, the cinematography and direction seen on screen proves that the story has a backbone of visual style and gravitas of a filmmaker’s dedication to making a story based on the concept and company he keeps. Here, Hamilton finds the weight of the emotional journey in his character’s choices and reflections in facing the confrontation of familial bonds and those painful memories that we put to rest. The actors’ are all allowed to shine and breathe life into their on-screen personas’, with many of the cast having the strength to carry weight of dialogue while the main lead is left in silence of his own accord. By the end of the film (as per audience reactions at the screening), you’ll be needing the tissues to help handle the teary emotions we see in the finale of the film reinterpreting the themes of Hózhó being an internal spiritual awakening that anyone can ignite from within, from family, and from the values/beliefs we hold strong. Anyone of any generation can find something out of the story, as the reviewer recounts how much an audience engagement could be found in the Q/A section of the premiere – prompting discussions of elder’s recollections that touched on personal experiences they found identifiable through the film. It’s a beautiful film that stands as one of Hamilton’s most mature and enlightening features that showcases the humanity and culture of Diné customs and traditions. FINDING HÓZHÓ is a film that wants you to be emotionally and spiritually ready to find the light, beauty, and forgiveness to give ourselves from all the burdens of the world.
Holt Hamilton, in his steadfast devotion to furthering his filmmaking goals and working with the best talent/crews, finds solace in the audience he has acquired with his filmography. Speaking with him, you understand that the storytelling that he’s writing and formulating is based on the influences and ideas that surround him; and it’s no surprise seeing how much influence the honor and beauty of Navajo country has struck a cord with his sensibilities. We spoke with him after the screening –
CRIT MEDIA: How do you anticipate everything that you do with the challenges of filmmaking? What does the weight of this lifestyle feel like for you?
HAMILTON: “I think the start of it was of just giving myself that goal: if I had one more chance to make a movie, what would I do? Not that the other films haven’t been a passion project or something, but there’s something about like, okay, what, there’s more thought, there’s a lot more prayer into it, there’s a lot more like, okay, what do I leave with? And so I think I set, that was one thing I think that really played into it.”
CRIT MEDIA: How do you feel personally when you have an audience, you have your fans, people who buy your movies, and you’re processing everything of who you are as a filmmaker?
HAMILTON: “I think for me, probably a bigger thing is being non-Native, working in a Native genre… seeing things that people are saying, and like, skin color tones, and like, all this stuff that… but it’s helped me in ways like, okay, well, why am I doing this? It’s because I love the people I work with… I wanna do what I can there to help. I don’t claim to be a voice for Native country. But I think for me, the focus is, I wanna make human stories. I wanna make a film that affects the human heart. I wanna tell a film that has that human connection to it.”
CRIT MEDIA: When you’re handling your productions on the low budget and small crews that you acquire, how do you work around needing to cover almost *everything* over your specific role? Working as a producer, DP, editor, script supervisor, etc., must be exhausting on the mind.
HAMILTON: “We can’t fail. I mean, sure, things will happen, but we’re still okay. Yes, I have some financial partners that I’m still trying to pay off even from ‘Legends from the Sky’… it’s trusting the process. Lots of prayer. I mean, that, honestly, that belief in higher power, greater God, heavenly father… I try to find the people with the right heart, the right soul, that got what we were trying to do. And then just believing in myself, like, I don’t know why I have that thought or that challenge, but I think we can do it. And just believing in it.”
CRIT MEDIA: What’s the next project? Any ideas circulating, or collaborations being made? Also, after a film you finish, what’s does time feel like? Do you get a catch of breath and relax a bit?
HAMILTON: “… I don’t have that break. I don’t have that catch of breath…once the premiere happens, to me, that’s a little bit of release of pressure, but my mind’s already running with marketing, trying to call it talk theaters and yeah, play our little film. And then once we hit like our initial theatrical release, then I feel myself starting to come up with ideas. Not just naturally… like… subconsciously… or I find I’ve hit the point where there’s less weight and now my mind starts running to the next idea. So that’s, that’s a little bit of my struggle with just the reality of what we try to do. But, my wife keeps telling me for the last two films, that I need to make a comedy. And so I’m looking at something like, ‘More Than Fry Bread 2’. That would be fun. And that’s mockumentary style.”
CRIT MEDIA: Well, we wish you best of luck on your next filmmaking venture!
HAMILTON: “Well, thank you, because I’m still a fake. I’ve only made my 12 movies where I can call myself a real filmmaker. So, Thank you very much. Man, I need to get you to come and just talk with me and do this at each of my premiere’s.”
Photography & Movie Review by CRIT Media Tech Naythen T. Lowe