FLIC film has roots in Mission Valley
Graham DuBose and his wife, S.K. DuBose, on the set of their film “The Last Beyond.”
The feature film, “The Last Beyond,” has roots in the Mission Valley, but its message of death, love and rebirth is a universal theme.
Director Graham DuBose enlisted the help of Stephen Small Salmon, a Pend d’Oreille tribal elder from the Flathead Reservation, to help tell the story. It is set during the Great Depression in the 1930s and captures the struggle of two American icons: The cowboy and the American Indian. Chris Snyder plays the cowboy, Stratton Eiseley, and Noah Watts plays Joe Running Elk. Both men struggle with economic and emotional upheaval and a loss of identity in the changing landscape. Small Salmon plays Flying Bear, a spiritual man with a deep connection to the land.
During the filming of “The Last Beyond,” DuBose lost his own father and the film took on a deeper meaning for him.
“It is set during this tremendous upheaval,” DuBose said. “One of the things we kept coming back to is who you are and what’s important to you at the end of the day. When you are faced with upheaval, everything gets stripped away. It’s a cathartic experience that informs the life they are living. They begin to hone in on what’s important to them.”
DuBose serves as a writer and director on the film and his wife, S.K. DuBose, is a writer and producer.
Small Salmon was able to speak in the Pend d’Oreille Salish language in the film, making it one of only two known feature films to showcase the critically endangered language.
The film will screen at 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24, at Showboat Cinemas in Polson as part of the Flathead Lake International Cinemafest. Small Salmon and DuBose will be on hand for a Q &A following the screening of the film, which received seven award nominations at FLIC.