During the Fourth of July holiday, a group of people are staying in a lake house belonging to Ellis and Wendy. Ellis is "Provider Dad" to Joey, while Saul King is her Biological Dad and Wendy's ex. Saul wanted a boy so that explains Joey's name, but she's quite feminine. On the radio, Saul is described as a someone who left Wall Street and became an author whose debut novel reached the number one spot, something that had not happened since Fitzgerald. Saul's books have birds in the title but are not about birds, as quirky bird lover Chad discovered. Still, Chad enjoyed the books and wants to interview Saul. He is also a photographer (it's not clear to me whether he's a professional journalist, but I think he is). Chad seems to have mental problems but seems relatively normal.Saul is with Emma now, but their marriage may be in trouble. Ellis and Wendy are also on shaky ground. Ellis is kind of a wimp and Joey doesn't really respect him.Another couple in the group has this peaceful, spiritual attitude I can't stand. Saturn Moon is worse than her male partner (I can't remember his name), but I'm happy to say even she gets angry. And I enjoy it when he plays the ukulele.Everyone has some sort of relationship problem, if they are in fact in a relationship. Chad just has problems. After a while this gets tiring for me.In addition to the scenery, the fireworks show, and occasional comedy, the best thing for me about this movie is Joey, who occasionally narrates. Johnny Sequoyah does a great job for such a young actress, and she handles herself well among all the chaos.Don't be fooled, though. This is far from a family film. Occasionally the sound went out when I saw it, with a character's mouth blurred. This happens frequently later on, and the words likely spoken are just garbage. When was the last time you heard the F-word used the way it was intended? I believe it is used a lot here for that purpose.I don't know her name but the jewelry salesperson was so nice and did such a good job. But who sells a $250,000 ring in an ordinary store? Don't they sell those in fabulous places where the snooty British salesperson has his nose in the air?I thought of something else i liked. Bikinis!This is probably a good movie and there are some performances that are worth seeing. It just didn't do much for me.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I sat down to watch Among Ravens. I had seen the trailer and was intrigued by the idea of "Ravens" as a symbol of family and it had been quite some time since I had seen Amy Smart in a film. Let me just say, I was pleasantly surprised and thought the film was completely delightful. Filmed in the incredibly beautiful wilderness of Idaho, Among Ravens is a fun yet very emotionally compelling drama about family and human relationships. In some respects it reminded me of The Royal Tenenbaums with all its quirky characters, but with some of the seriousness and dramatic undertones of August Osage County. Overall, the performances were strong -- Amy Smart was wonderful and if you're a fan of Believe (which was sadly canceled) you will be blown away by Johnny Sequoyah's performance. If you're looking for something different, filled with real heartfelt emotion, then sit down and watch this movie.

This film establishes Johnny Sequoyah as an up and coming big, big star. The script is unbelievably tight and each scene is just utter perfection. It's phenomenally well acted and produced, and the soundtrack is spot on. When they cut to Jason Isbell's God Damn Lonely Love in the bar scene I almost started clapping. And I was alone. The story itself is just great - it's tragic and beautiful and very funny. Shot entirely in Idaho, mostly in the resort town of McCall, it's visually stunning to say the least. The smoke from the ongoing forest fire seems to add the message that everything can burn, and there are relationships on fire in many different ways in this film. The ending leaves you wondering if "Joey" is Herman Hesse's Damian and you've just witnessed her coming of age. It's utterly fantastic!

I was drawn to Among Ravens for the cast. I am an avid Amy Smart fan and the films she picks are always ones I like. I also always love seeing an actor's debut film, and this is Johnny Sequoyah's first! These leading ladies did not disappoint. Amy's ability to get inside her character's head and depict to the audience a genuine and relatable human experience is mesmerizing to watch. Johnny's character was absolutely my favorite part of the film. Her ability to show that a child's perspective can be the most insightful and truthful left me pondering how life can affect and warp our perspective's through the years and how important it is to be reminded of how we once viewed the world. Thanks to the gorgeous cinematography, I now know how beautiful Idaho is and will definitely be planning a trip there one day! It is refreshing to see a film that is both produced and directed by Cherokee Native Americans, to see their vision and control behind the camera instead of a stereotypical portrayal of them in front of it, is truly important.