Sterlin Harjo's Mekko is a fascinating albeit flawed film that combines Native American Mysticism and gritty realism to tell its tale of a man who is seeking redemption from a rough life and ultimately looking for hope. Mekko has just got out of prison after serving 19 years. He has no home or family to speak of, so he moves to Tulsa where he is immediately turned away by is cousin, who wants nothing to do with him either. With nowhere to go, Mekko ends up sleeping on the streets of Tulsa, befriending other homeless men. While the overall nature of the homeless community is jovial, Mekko begins to run into conflict with Bill, an evil man in the homeless community who shows little empathy or remorse, beating anyone who gets inbetween him and what he wants. Harkening back to the stories of his grandmother, Mekko becomes convinced that Bill is an evil spirit, "a witch", which Meeko must elimate from the community. A film that gives a rather intricate portrait into a community of homeless individuals in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mekko is a film thats best attribute is the intricate and complex portrait of Mekko it provides. While there are man films that capture the gritty realism of life on the streets, Mekko is a film that paints a convincing and effective portrait of a man in Mekko who has nothing left to live for. Nuanced and subtle in approach, nothing is given to the viewer in Mekko, though it becomes apparent as the film progresses that he is haunted by his past and desperate for a reason or purpose. The mysticism aspect of the film feels almost out of place at first, but as the film progresses it becomes clear that Mekko is a man whose been beaten down by a hard life, as Sterlin Harjo uses Native American mysticism as a way of capturing his inner turmoil. Bill is a symbolic representation of Mekko's inner demons, a character who feels somewhat forced into the story, but ultimately becomes an important part in this redemption tale. My favorite aspect of the film is how it is able to capture the inner psyche of an older homeless man in Mekko, who simply views that his life has past him by, with it being far too late to make change, capturing the deep loss of hope he has. Ultimately Mekko is able to salvage his willingness to fight, returning to his childhood home where he is able to find redemption and hope. Despite some pacing issues and unclear intentions early on, Sterlin Harjo's Mekko is a solid indie feature that taps into the psyche of an old broken down man who is seeking some form of redemption while ultimately looking for hope.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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