Tribeca 2023 | Hey Viktor! Review: Cody Lightning's Directorial Debut is a Hilarious and Heartbreaking Tale of Self-Destruction
Editor's note: A previous version of this review identified cinematographer Liam Mitchell as Indigenous when he is not.
How does one process their childhood? Moreover, how does one process their childhood after being a child star in a hit film? These are questions that Cody Lightning, who starred in the indie hit Smoke Signals 25 years ago, seeks to answer by writing, directing, and starring in the film Hey Viktor!, a semiautobiographical film about how Cody has processed his stardom as an adult and his journey to make Smoke Signals 2.
Processing one’s childhood through the use of a film is nothing new. Many filmmakers (even ones appearing this year at Tribeca) have used their projects to somehow gain closure to that chapter of their lives and how that has affected their adult relationships. However, Lightning isn’t interested in the vanity project aspect, instead focusing on how his community views him.
This one decision saves the entire movie for me. Instead of focusing on Lightning’s internal struggle, we get to see the perspectives of those around him, like his creative partner Kate (Hannah Cheesman), Simon (Simon Baker), Irene (Irene Bedard), Craig Broner (Colin Mochrie), and a multitude of others. This sense of community ties things together, so we get a clearer picture of how Lightning’s self-destructive behavior hurts those around him and how child stardom can affect one’s life.
A great example is when Cody sneaks into the bar bathroom where his intervention takes place and gets Craig’s camera operators drunk. Cody is having the time of his life, but the look on Craig’s face says everything. It’s mixed with embarrassment, awe, shock, and sadness. Cody did that, and he’s rightly furious at him for it.
Without going further, this fury extends out to other characters whom Lightning presumably hurt with his actions by only thinking about himself, and it’s where the film’s characterization of Lightning’s experiences falls a bit short for me. With this plot being so tied into Lightning’s actual life, I lose track of where the biographical part of the film ends, and the drama begins. With the setup for the film being a documentary, how much of this is authentic? How much is a fictionalized version of Lightning’s experiences?
I don’t know, but I do know that there are some great performances from Cheesman, Lightning, Baker, and Mochrie. It’s also a great take on the biographical drama and documentary genres, with an outstanding balance of humor and drama to round out the narrative. On top of that, I love that Lightning chose to include Native voices in the film and behind the scenes. Whatever Lightning does next, I’ll be in line to see it.
★★★★
Check out my interview with Cody Lightning and Hannah Cheesman below.
Hey Viktor! is playing today at 9:30 PM Eastern at AMC 19th Street and June 17th at 9 PM at Village East by Angelika.
If you can’t make it to New York, Hey Viktor! will also be screening on the Tribeca At Home online platform from June 19th to July 2nd (as long as you live in the US).
You can buy tickets here.
Until next time!
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