Free Leonard Peltier arrives into the world considerably bereft of goal — for extremely constructive causes. Jesse Brief Bull and David France’s documentary, which lately premiered on the Sundance Movie Competition, was made to agitate for the discharge of Leonard Peltier, the previous American Indian Motion member imprisoned for almost half a century, and whose case has been a trigger célèbre for almost as lengthy. Per week earlier than the movie’s deliberate debut, a long time of protest and advocacy lastly paid off, as United States President Joe Biden commuted Peltier’s sentence to accommodate arrest with mere minutes left in his time period. The crew scrambled to replace the movie with this completely happy coda in time for the pageant. The film thus comes out with its mission already achieved, which is unbelievable for Peltier and his supporters, however raises existential questions for the venture.
As a member of AIM, Peltier was a part of the rising tide of Indigenous activism within the US through the Nineteen Seventies, which confronted vicious retaliation from authorities and regulation enforcement. By way of a sequence of occasions too sophisticated to sum up right here, in 1975, Peltier and a few compatriots grew to become embroiled in a firefight with two Federal Bureau of Investigation brokers that ended with the brokers’ deaths. After a nationwide manhunt (with Peltier receiving some help from Hollywood’s Marlon Brando), extradition from Canada, and a trial that was — put politely — a authorized obscenity, Peltier obtained two life sentences. It wasn’t lengthy earlier than the FBI’s malfeasance in securing the decision — intimidating witnesses into giving false statements and mendacity in regards to the outcomes of forensic weapons assessments, to start out — got here to gentle, and a mass motion supporting Peltier’s pardon gained momentum. Over the a long time, Peltier accrued the help of innumerable activists, human rights organizations, overseas governments, celebrities, and the Pope, however the FBI’s steadfast strain on totally different presidents saved him behind bars — till this month, when Biden’s conscience lastly twinged on the final doable second.
Movie nonetheless from Free Leonard Peltier (2025), directed by Jesse Brief Bull and David France
Free Leonard Peltier has now pivoted from a chunk of advocacy towards extra of a historical past piece — not a weapon to assist its topic depart jail, now extra of a file about his life, imprisonment, and the combat to get him out. (It’s price noting, after all, that Peltier has been granted clemency slightly than a pardon, and continues to be formally acknowledged as responsible, in order that combat continues.) On account of the final minute tweaks, the movie feels considerably discordant, with Peltier’s clemency feeling abrupt and disjointed within the context of the remainder of the story. Additional modifying — maybe even the capturing of extra footage — between now and the documentary’s eventual wider launch could clean this over.
Different issues appear deeper. The documentary’s try and condense the historical past of AIM, Peltier’s terribly advanced authorized case, and the battle for his launch into lower than two hours short-changes all these threads. Aesthetically, the movie cuts corners as effectively, making use of Synthetic Intelligence-generated reenactments across the central gun battle. Setting apart the myriad moral points round the usage of AI, the consequence makes an incident wherein a number of individuals died and which unjustly landed Peltier in jail appear garishly video-game-like.
The filmmakers’ incapacity to realize vital entry to Peltier himself additionally hampers them. They largely depend on archival footage of earlier interviews to realize his aspect of the story and anecdotes about his life. However the extra vital problem is that Free Leonard Peltier doesn’t allow us to get to know its title character as a human being. There are hints of his love of artwork and loads of affirming attestations about his ardour for his individuals, however little that makes the viewers perceive him as greater than an emblem.
Free Leonard Peltier (2025), directed by Jesse Brief Bull and David France, is taking part in as a part of the Sundance Movie Competition, which continues just about and in varied areas by February 2.
