Black Cloud


Black Cloud is a 2004 American drama film directed and written by Rick Schroder and starring Eddie Spears, Julia Jones, Russel Means, and Tim McGraw.

Plot

Black Cloud, a young Navajo man, must take a journey of personal growth to prepare himself for a chance at boxing in the Olympics. When Eddie returns to town with the rodeo and wants to rekindle his relationship with Black Cloud's girlfriend, Sammi, Black Cloud confronts him and runs into trouble with the sheriff after beating up Eddie who is Sammi's ex-boyfriend and the father of her child, as well as the Sheriff's nephew.
After seeing Black Cloud in a boxing match, an Olympic Scout named Norm Olsen offers him a tryout for the U.S. Olympic team. Initially Black Cloud rejects the offer believing that it would be unjust to 'fight for the White Man'. In trying to apply for Indian Housing he and Sammi find out that his great-grandfather was from Germany; believing he is cursed by his diluted bloodline Black Cloud has a falling out with Sammi. He goes to see his grandfather, who takes him into the canyons and tells him about his family and the German man who helped his great-grandmother after she was raped by a several white men and went by the name White Wolf. Realizing that his bloodline is pure he decides to come back to Sammi and proposes to her. He gets back into training for the Golden Gloves tournament coming up and decides to take up the scout's offer if he wins.
The day before the tournament his best friend is seriously injured in a fight with Eddie and a set of other cowboys which the Sheriff refuses to arrest. On the day of the tournament, Black Cloud goes through it to the finals where he meets Rocket Ray Tracy, the number one ranked Light Heavyweight fighter who is hoping on going pro after the tournament.

Release

The film was not picked up for wide release, but premiered at the Phoenix Film Festival in 2004 and was seen at several small festivals, including the Haskell Indian Nations Film Festival in Kansas; it marks Schroder's directing debut.

Accolades

The film won the Best Director Award at the San Diego Film Festival in 2004.