Every day for the better part of ten years, I taught Native American History.  As such, whenever I come across a film about native peoples, it catches my notice.  Today’s film, Frybread Face and Me (2023), focuses on more modern issues, but the through line in my thoughts on the subject is wondering whether it will discuss the complicated relationship native peoples have had with Catholicism.  There are some that do, unlike today’s entry, and it is usually not in a positive light.  Without diminishing the awful aspects of this cultural exchange, these examples do not give a fair picture of the overall tone of the interactions between the Church and native peoples.  Then again, that is Hollywood for you.  It becomes more authentic when you have that population presenting themselves, as is the case here.  Some of what is portrayed is a little uncomfortable, but on the whole, it is refreshing.

In a sense, Frybread Face and Me is about an adult Benny (voiced by Billy Luther) refreshing the audience through narration about his experiences as an eleven-year-old Navajo (who refer to themselves as the Diné) growing up and living in San Diego in 1990.  This is not where the Diné are from, so the young Benny (Keir Tallman) is being raised essentially without any connection to his ethnic roots.  To underscore this point, the one thing he is looking forward to in the coming months is going to a Fleetwood Mac concert.  However, his parents have decided that he is going to spend the season with his mother Ann’s (Morningstar Angeline) mother, Grandma Lorraine (Sarah H. Natani), on the Navajo reservation.  It is later revealed that the reason for him being sent away is because his parents are getting a divorce.  Benny is not thrilled about going to Arizona and is immediately contemplating escaping back to California before his Aunt Lucy (Kahara Hodges) picks him up from the bus stop.  She is the only friendly and/or familiar sounding face Benny will encounter for some days.  It is not that Grandma is unwelcoming.  The issue with her is that she only speaks the Diné language, and he does not understand it.  Living with her is her son, Uncle Marvin (Martin Sensmeier).  He is scornful of the presence of a city kid, and impatient with Benny’s inept but willing assistance with chores around their sheep farm.  The last person he meets is his cousin, Dawn (Charley Hogan), who is the title character.  She, too, is suspicious of this newcomer and only talks in Diné around him.  It changes when Dawn sees Benny playing with what are derisively referred to as dolls, but are actually G.I. Joe action figures.  It should be noted that he treats the pair like they are a couple, which is part of a somewhat inappropriate gender bending theme for the child.  At any rate, it is this moment that Dawn finally reveals that she knows English, so the two begin to spend more time with one another.  In turn, Benny becomes more immersed in Diné culture.  His first introduction does not go well, however.  Though he is given an opportunity to make it onto the bus that will return him to San Diego, he stays to watch Uncle Marvin ride a bull.  The time on the beast’s back does not last long before Uncle Marvin is thrown from the animal and is badly injured.  This means more duties around the farm, and more responsibility when one of the sheep goes missing.  That this should happen is a problem because the livestock is the family’s livelihood.  Grandma is particularly connected to the wool they provide, giving instruction to Dawn, and through his cousin to Benny, on making the yarn and weaving textiles.  It teaches Benny not only about his people’s way of life, but how to slow down in general.  We will get more into these lessons later.  As nice as these moments are, they do not save Benny from Uncle Marvin’s wrath.  With Dawn making breakfast one morning, the hobbled ranch hand lashes out over the poor quality of the coffee.  Dawn takes it out on Benny, who is also dealing with Uncle Marvin’s disparaging remarks.  Having had enough, Benny angrily retorts, calling out Uncle Marvin for his lack of skill at the rodeo and Dawn for the fact that her dad is in prison and her mom is not present.  The outburst brings Uncle Marvin up short, but Dawn goes to run away.  With some encouragement from Aunt Lucy, Benny apologizes to his cousin and she returns.  They mend their bond in time for a party celebrating the fact that he had been the first to make his one-year-old cousin laugh, a high honor among the Diné.  It is celebrated with a big party that sees Benny paraded around the family like a proud godfather.  Unfortunately, this is also towards the end of his time with Grandma and the rest.  After the celebration, Aunt Lucy departs to pursue her career in cosmetology.  A few days later, Ann comes to collect her son.  Now that he is dressing more like his people, and even learning how to repair the makeshift fence to the sheep enclosure, he is hesitant to leave.  Nonetheless, he goes, with the adult Benny telling us about how he had come to appreciate his identity as a Diné.

If nothing else, one can appreciate the brevity of Frybread Face and Me, which, admittedly, is part of the reason I chose it.  Otherwise, as a Catholic I must object to some of how they portray Benny.  I like Fleetwood Mac as much as the next person, but I got the sense that was part of the gender bending tone I earlier referenced.  The fact that we also see him putting on make-up and dancing around in a dress is also not ideal.  Catholicism is less judgmental than one might be led to believe on such matters, but he is far too young to be delving into such matters.  Instead, what I would like to delve into further is Grandma’s wool weaving.  As she is instructing her grandchildren on making a blanket, she tells them that the craft provides an opening for their thoughts to become a part of what they create.  This reminded me of Benedictine spirituality that closely links work and prayer.  To be sure, a distinction should be made between prayer and thought to a certain degree.  While the former can be described a directing one’s thinking at God, it is not intended for the idle imaginings that can tend to float through the mind.  Of course, these too can be offered up to Him, but it takes some spiritual practice that is difficult for even the most ardent of praying people.  What is great about Grandma’s creation is the cultural cache she is devotes to it.  It is who she is, and it is an identity that she is trying to pass down to the next generation.  If only Catholics could do the same, the Church would be much healthier than it is today.

Then again, one would not say that the Diné lands are a healthy place to live judging by Frybread Face and Me.  Like many reservations inhabited by native peoples, they are many struggles there and their inhabitants are looking to move someplace else, often.  While this is well-represented in the film, I could have done without the issues referenced in the previous paragraph, as well as a brief glimpse inside a pornographic magazine.  Having said all this, it is a thought-provoking piece that has some value.