Chris Eyre’s 1998 coming-of-age road trip movie Smoke Signals is more than just a beloved indie comedy and favorite on the film festival circuit. Considered the first Native American directed, written, produced, and acted movie to reach the mainstream not only in the United States but also abroad, it marked a watershed moment in representation for Native Americans on screen that has rarely been matched before (historically, Native Americans were largely portrayed as villains to the white heroes in westerns) or since. As they travel across the country to pick up his recently-deceased father’s ashes, Victor and his friend Thomas unpack their opposing stances on their heritage (Victor is stoic and cool, Thomas buys into tradition and the romanticized image of Native Americans held by many Americans). In 2018, Smoke Signals was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. And several of its stars have gone on to have flourishing careers, like Adam Beach (who played Victor Joseph), who has appeared in such big projects as Clint Eastwood’s 2006 war drama Flags of Our Fathers and the 2016 Suicide Squad.
Other stars haven’t quite dodged the memes, like Cody Lightning, who played the younger version of Victor. Appearing opposite Simon Baker as the younger version of his chatty pal Thomas, he was the frequent recipient of a greeting that has been quoted over and over again by fans of the movie: “Hey Victor! How do you build a fire?” “Hey Victor! Why’d your dad leave?” “Hey Victor!”
Lightning has only appeared in a handful of films over the passing years, despite receiving praise for his performances (his most acclaimed film post-Smoke Signals is arguably the 2007 drama Four Sheets to the Wind, in which he plays a young Seminole/Creek man whose outlook on life changes when he travels from his small hometown to Tulsa). But he’s back in a big way with possibly one of the most out-of-left-field projects imaginable: a raunchy meta mockumentary in which Lightning, playing a washed-up version of himself, tries to mount a production of Smoke Signals 2: Still Smoking in a last-ditch grasp for fame.
Lightning also directs and co-writes (along with Samuel Miller) Hey Viktor! which establishes its style and tone right away: Lightning is teaching an acting class for kids, but his lessons revolve solely around him forcing them to watch and reenact scenes from Smoke Signals, barking and swearing at them when their performances aren’t—in his eyes, at least—up to snuff. Lightning’s lingering obsession with the role that made him famous is instantly evident, but a quick succession of scenes establishes just how hard his career has hit rock bottom. He shoots porn movies (he has to beg the director to let him be on top for once, and can’t even pull that off). His personal life isn’t faring that well either; he’s estranged from his kids and wife, who reveals to him that she’s been seeing a (younger, more successful) actor and is planning to move away. He hits the bottle hard, too. The one person by his side through it all is his manager and best friend Kate (Hannah Cheesman), a white woman who claims to have some Native American blood, and who spends her time with Lightning writing and rewriting scripts about zombie priests. When his friends stage an intervention in the form of a reality show, Lightning takes advantage of the situation (and the presence of a camera crew) to take one last stab at shooting his script for Smoke Signals 2. After securing the financial backing of a die-hard Smoke Signals fan, he gets a lot of the gang back together, but faces even more hurdles along the way, from tracking down Adam Beach’s wig to a copyright battle that forces him to change his character’s name to Diktor.
Several actors from Smoke Signals appear as themselves in various capacities, from being questioned in mock interviews to reluctantly starring in Lightning’s sequel. These include Gary Farmer (who played Victor’s dad), Irene Bedard (who played Suzy Song), and Lightning’s former screen partner Simon Baker, who ends up having a fairly significant role in Hey Viktor! as his success threatens to eclipse Lightning’s. The film plays around a lot with its absurd premise, and it’s especially fun to watch once it begins digging into the making of Smoke Signals 2 and all the dysfunction that arises during production. And it occasionally does some amusing things with its mockumentary style by incorporating the camera people into the narrative. It isn’t necessary to have seen Smoke Signals to be able to follow what’s going on in Hey Viktor! but that knowledge certainly enriches all the film’s references to the 1998 classic.
Unfortunately, the version of himself that Lightning creates for Hey Viktor! is so thoroughly unlikeable, with virtually no redeeming traits until the film’s final few minutes, that it’s really difficult to get behind him. He’s arrogant, and almost entirely oblivious (or flat-out uncaring) to the feelings of those around him, even those like Kate who are legitimately trying to help him. And a lot of the film’s (as I mentioned before, incredibly raunchy) humor is derived from what a loser he is. It just isn’t that funny, while treading over familiar themes about the fleeting nature of fame.
It also isn’t really until the end of the movie that we get a sense of the importance of their community—the Native American community—to these characters. That was all over Smoke Signals, but it’s less tangible here. The genuinely warm finale compensates somewhat for what is lacking in what came before, even if it feels like the narrative took a bit of a leap to get there. Lightning in Hey Viktor! ends up in a more satisfying place in his life and career, but I also hope that this serves as a renaissance for Lightning in real life too. Hey Viktor! didn’t entirely work for me, but his audacity both in front of and behind the camera makes me want to see what risks he’ll take next.
Hey Viktor! had its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival on June 8. Runtime: 102 minutes.
Katie at the Movies 