Smoke Signals (1998)

Now young adults both floundering in life, native Americans Victor Joseph and Thomas Builds-the-Fire grew up together and still live on the Coeur d'Alene Reservation in Idaho.

Despite masculine and athletic Victor not only not considering slight, bespectacled Thomas a friend but being quite annoying in Thomas never having had much of a filter, especially as he tells one story after another, the two will be forever tied together in Victor's father, Arnold Joseph, having saved Thomas when he was an infant from a house fire after an Independence Day party 1976 that killed Thomas' parents. That tie is also despite Arnold having left the reservation about ten years ago to live in a trailer outside of Phoenix as Victor's mother, Arlene Joseph, kicked him out due to his drinking and violent behavior. As such, Victor and Thomas view Arnold differently, Victor with anger and love, the latter due to their blood ties, and Thomas with reverence. When Victor and Arlene learn that Arnold has just died, Victor, with he and Arlene not having the money, feels somewhat forced to accept Thomas' offer to fund his trip to Phoenix to deal with Arnold's belongings and retrieve his cremated remains, Thomas' only stipulation that he be able to come along on the trip. In their concentrated time together on the road trip, including some time with Arnold's next door neighbor Suzy Song who arguably knew more about the true Arnold than anyone else, Victor and Thomas may come to some new understandings about their relationship and about their thoughts concerning Arnold.