Film Review: Blackwater
by Karen Pecota

Filmmaker Boise Badilla Esquerra is featured in the Episodic Category with his pilot for Blackwater, where he shows off his talent as director, producer, screenwriter and editor for his project Blackwater. Esquerra is a true "Jack-of-all-trades" when it comes to the film industry. Some might imagine that wearing all those hats to make his film had to do with a lack of financial resources to get a film made. Not so! Boise, a student of film, derives his Blackwater storyline from living around a similar and more personal narrative that has burdened the Native American Communities for decades. His main objective is to do whatever he can to help and support those who suffer from the trappings of alcoholism.

Synopsis:

A famous Native American music star has a problem, an attitude, and some tough decisions to make because of her love for liquor. She is ordered by the court to participate in a wellness-therapy support group after hitting rock bottom. If she doesn't attend or follow the judge's order, she is in jeopardy of losing what she holds most dear.

She arrives at the first meeting reluctantly. Everyone in attendance knows her because the meeting takes place on her hometown reservation. The country star is sadly verbally aggressive to those meeting together, even though she is treated with kindness.

After the meeting, a tough love confrontation by the group leader in regard to her behavior shocks her into reality of what is at stake. While she is embarrassed to be in the company of a group of misfits, her superiority complex will put her to the test of whether a step toward wholeness is of importance to her future.