
07/28/2025
🎬 Dances with Wolves 2: Spirit of the Tribe (2025)
⭐ Rating: 8.7/10 – Sweeping, soulful, and emotionally resonant, this long-awaited sequel revisits the American frontier through a new generation’s eyes, blending history with identity and spiritual legacy.
What it’s about:
Decades after Lt. John Dunbar disappeared into legend, his half-Lakota son, Tiyóspaye (played by Forrest Goodluck), is a decorated WWI veteran returning to a country that no longer feels like home. Haunted by war and disconnected from both his heritages, he embarks on a journey to rediscover his roots. With the Lakota people facing forced assimilation and land theft in the 1920s, Tiyóspaye must decide whether to resist quietly—or become the voice of a fading way of life.
Why it stands out:
Centers an Indigenous protagonist with authenticity and nuance
Themes of cultural erasure, identity, and post-war trauma
Beautifully shot on-location in South Dakota and Montana
A story of healing and reconnection between generations
Highlights:
A ghostly dream where Tiyóspaye speaks to Dunbar on horseback under a blood moon
Tiyóspaye teaching Lakota language to orphaned children at a government-run school
Climactic scene where he defends a sacred burial site against oil prospectors
Final shot: A firelit tribal dance, with Tiyóspaye watching—finally at peace