“Smoke Signals” by Chris Eyre

“Smoke Signals” is one of the most successful films directed by Chris Eyre. The film raises a number of serious themes which mirror not only internal conflicts of main characters, but also substantial problems which affect the contemporary society. At the same time, the director of the film has managed to perfectly depict changes occurring to main characters through the change of their environment. In this respect, geography and location have a very important, symbolic meaning in the film.

In fact, the entire film represents a series of changing geographical location which represent different stages in the personal development of main characters. For instance, one of he main characters of the film Thomas is saved by Arnold and the boy perfectly remembers the fire and burning house which Arnold took the boy away from. No wonder the boy views Arnold as a hero, even when the boy has already grown up. In such a way, he constantly associates Arnold with that image of a hero he remembers from the day of the fire, when his biological parents died.

Arnold, though, is susceptible to changes and it seems as if his environment changes his character. When he was in the bringing house, he felt his responsibility and guilt because he provoked the fire. This is why he acts as a hero, but when he change his traditional environment and moves to Phoenix, Arizona, he dies because he feels as if he is a stranger in this new world. At the same time, his two sons, Victor and Thomas travel to Phoenix when they learn that Arnold is dead and as they pass through different locations, the film reveals their internal world, individual traits of character which are as unique as the location they travel through.

Thus, the film closely intertwines geography and location with personal qualities of the main characters and their life.