Playing in the US Dramatic Competition at Sundance, Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr’s debut feature, Wild Indian, is a dark, nuanced tale of guilt and reconciliation. It tells the story of a boy who contemplates killing his abusive parents, even entering their room at night with a blade, but instead takes his anger out on a popular boy by shooting him dead and burying him in the forest, much to the shock of tag-along best friend Ted-O. The film jumps forward in time to 2019 and explores how the two grown men confront this dreadful secret they share.

We spoke to Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr about what inspired him to write this film, inverting the white gaze and issues of identity, masculinity and intergenerational trauma.

By Sarah Bradbury. First published on The Upcoming on 5th February 2021.

Wild Indian does not have a UK release date yet. Read our review here.

For further information about Sundance Film Festival 2021 visit here.

Read more reviews from the festival here.