The Doe Boy (2001)

James Duval shines in this vivid, affecting coming-of-age story. The Doe Boy follows Hunter (Duval)--a half-Native American, half-Caucasian boy with hemophilia--from childhood to his life as a young adult. His father (Kevin Anderson) doesn't know how to relate to a boy who can't work with tools or play sports; his mother (Jeri Arredondo) fights to protect her vulnerable son. When his father finally takes him on a hunting trip, Hunter accidentally shoots a doe--leading to the nickname "doe boy," which haunts him. It's difficult to describe The Doe Boy; a story summary sounds gimmicky and doesn't capture the writing and performances, which are beautifully detailed and bracingly honest. Most importantly, despite not having a propulsive plot, The Doe Boy doesn't drag or meander. In fact, you may want it to slow down so you can spend more time with these characters, whose lives are hurtling by. --Bret Fetzer Amazon.com

Wonderful coming of age film

It's rough growing up in any culture when you're different, especially so in the Cherokees where proving yourself is so critical. And in this story, doing the wrong thing could prove fatal.

Hunter (Andrew J. Ferchland as young boy and James Duval as man) is a Cherokee boy with hemophilia. His mother (Jeri Arredondo) wants to shelter him and his Dad (Kevin Anderson) wants to treat him like a regular warrior. That includes learning to hunt deer.

When Hunter accidentally shoots a doe instead of the manliness proving buck, he's earned the insulting name "Doe Boy". As his Grandfather says, "He wanted a story to tell the rest of his life."

"Doe Boy" is an independent film, written and produced by Randy Redroad. The filming takes place in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, which is Cherokee country and a beautiful place. Acting, music, scenery are all good. Just a well-told.

Rebecca Kyle, August 2008

August 17, 2008

Great Family Movie

I enjoyed this movie, it was a bit slow moving in places but the overall theme and feeling of the movie did not get lost. June 18, 2008

Doe Boy falls short

I love NAI movies but I feel this one fell a little short on traditions and
connection to the mother earth and it's creatures. I took a chance buying a movie I had never heard about. March 27, 2008

A Right of Passage And A Claim Of Identity

As a growing boy becomes a young man, an internal change must parallel the outward transformation of the body. In this film, the protagonist finds himself between two worlds that oppose one another. His grandfather offers him a link to cultural traditions that his father doesn't really value. In the midst of this battle of ideas, he must find himself and outgrow childhood trauma. The dissapointments of his father mean to become his own and a weakness in his own body presents a deadly serious trial. The Doe Boy is a film that successfully portrays the unique story of a young man facing the crisis of maturity and adulthood. It is on each of us to navigate the end of childhood and the voices that guide us are rarely our own. This is a story with profound raflections on the nature of family and the path to independence and growth. December 25, 2007

Modern Day Coming of Age Story

I loved this movie when it was being shown on cable television and couldn't wait to add it to the library. It's a well written and creative story-line with very few of the usual stereotypical props of many of the other native-inspired films of today. It definitely is a movie that speaks universally of important issues to the public at large as well as more specifically to a smaller population of individuals seemingly isolated by illness. It's refreshing to watch a predominately native group of people who do not live within the confines of the reservation or reservation living being one of the driving themes. The writer has placed these people within the confines of everyday life with everyday problems. There is racial content, but, again, it is handled in a whole new manner and perspective. The musical score is wonderfully written and compliments the film. I also love the fact that the ending of the story is not clearly defined and left up to the interpretation of the individual. It's a great movie with a wonderfully talented cast. I hope to see more from Randy Redroad in the future. January 5, 2007

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