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An old fashioned ghost story with a Native American twist.

Shayla Stonefeather (Tonantzin Carmelo), a Native American attorney prosecuting a Lakota teen in a controversial murder trial, returns to the reservation to say goodbye to her dying father. After the teen is killed, she hears ghostly voices and sees strange visions that cause her to re-examine beliefs she thought she left behind.


This film contains examples of these tropes:

  • Action Girl: Shayla knows how to use a shotgun.
  • Action Survivor: Shayla
  • Ambiguously Gay: Nathaniel Stonefeather
  • Ass Hole Victim: Johnathan
  • Ax-Crazy: After Shayla finds out that her boyfriend Johnathan had paid a phony eye witness to convince a jury that Robbie was standing over a murdered woman's body she tells him that he has to turn himself in. He snaps after that.
  • Better to Die than Be Killed: Rebecca brings her husband home from the hospital as she would rather he die there peacfully in the comfort of his bed and with people that love him than have his spirit die in the hospital.
  • Betty and Veronica: A genderflipped version of the trope with Tom as the Betty and Jonathan as the Veronica.
  • Big "NO!": Rebecca lets one out when Shayla's father dies in her arms.
  • Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: At the very end it is revealed that Johnathan Freeman is this.
    • And at first when Johnathan meets Shayla's mother he speaks to her in Lakota to try to impress Rebecca. Later on after an argument with Shayla though he expresses disdain for her people, realizes his mistake, and tries to play it off.
  • Camera Abuse: Not so much abuse but more as a medium to express tension in a scene. The director took some a few liberties with how the the film was shot. In stressful situations for example the camera is noticably more shaky.
  • Calling the Old Man Out: Shayla does this to Sam when she believes he is the one who killed her brother.
  • Chekhov's Armoury: The knife Tom takes from Frank Whiteshirt.
  • Cool Old Guy: The old man that comes to the Stonefeather ranch unpon Rebecca's request to bless it.
  • Derailing Love Interests: Johnathan is actually psychotic.
  • Dogged Nice Guy: Tom
    • Johnathan pretends to be one.
  • Dreaming of Things to Come: Sort of.
  • Dysfunctional Family: The Stonefeathers. The father, Sam, suffers from an illness that makes him prone to sudden outbursts when he is not in a catatonic state. The mother, Rebecca, is struggling to keep the family together and maintain the ranch. Shayla expresses distrust in her own people. And Nathaniel, Shayla's brother, has been missing for s few years due to a serious drub habit.
  • Fair Cop: When Frank Whiteshirt arrives to Sam's birthday, he has a knife on his belt and appears to threaten Shayla. Tom tackles him and disarms him, letting him off with a warning. Tom clearly has deep feelings for Shayla, so the fact that he was able to keep a cool enough head to let the guy off was impressive.
  • Gut Feeling: Rebecca immidiately tells Shayla she does not like her boyfriend.
  • Green-Eyed Monster: Johnathan gets like this when he sees how friendly Shayla is with Tom.
  • Hello, Attorney!: Shayla Stonefeather definitely qualifies as one.
  • Living Shadow: The mysterious spirits that Shayla begins to see appear as this.
  • Magical Guide: The wolf and the horse to a certain extent.
    • Also the shadows she sees serve as this.
  • Murder Is the Best Solution: Shayla thinks her father may have resorted to this with regards to her brother.
    • After Shayla discovers and confronts him of what he did to alter the response of the jury on Robbie Whiteshirt's case, Johnathan seems to view this as his only option to deal with Shayla.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: Shayla's reaction to the revelation that she convicted an innocent man.
    • After accusing him of killing her brother Nathniel calls and Shayla picks up the phone. The way her eyes dart back and forth as she begins to assimilate how her accusations may have affected Sam, it's clear that she is thinking this.
  • Never Trust a Trailer: The trailer gives the audience the idea that the movie is about vengeful ghosts tormenting a woman. There are supernatural elements and they are important but the film focuses more on the drama and not so much the alleged horror.
  • Non-Human Sidekick: The horse that continues to go to the Stonefeather ranch. It accompanies Shayla a few times throughout the film.
  • Not Distracted by the Sexy: When Tom arrives to the Stonefeather ranch after hearing there was a disturbance he is clad in his police uniform. Though slightly flustered by his sudden apearence, Shayla makes sure to keep it together. When he leaves to take a look around the ranch, Rebecca lampshades this by pointing out he looks good in uniform. Shayla replies that she'll be going to bed.
  • Old Flame: Tom and Shayla are this to eachother.
  • Outside/Inside Slur: Shayla's car is grafittied with 'Go Home Apple'(Red on the outside, white on the inside.)
  • Prince Charming Wannabe: Johnathans attempts to impress Rebecca Stonefeather. She doesn't buy it.
  • Shotguns Are Just Better: When it sounds as though someone is in Shayla's house, she quickly grabs a shot gun and proceeds to find whoever dared step into her house.
  • Spirit Advisor: The wolf that appears to Shayla could be seen as this. Its supposed to be her guide.
  • Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Shayla is an interesting mixture of being affectionate with family and close friends and being outright cold toward them as well.
  • Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Tom Greyhorse, Shayla's ex boyfriend.
  • Tender Tears: Sam sheds them when Shayla accuses him of murdering Nathaniel.
  • The Atoner: Shayla starts feeling this after she finds out she helped put an innocnet man in jail.
  • The Empath: Rebecca Stonefeather doesn't really like Johnathan even after he goes through the trouble of greeting her in Lakota. Turns out she had very good reasons not to like him.
  • The Determinator: Several characters...
    • For one Shayla proves to be this when she begins to investigate the apparent death of her brother.
      • The way she handles herself in the climax is also nothing short of being this.
    • Sam as well who has been clinging to life despite the quality of it being so bad.
    • Tom could also qualify as he clearly (albeit respectfully) pursues Shayla's affection.
      • There is also the bit in the climax where he is stabbed, knocked out, regains conciousness and wrestles with the attacker, get caught in a headlock and loses conciousness again. The audience is led to believe he died. He lived.
    • Johnathan is willing to do whatever it takes to become a senator.
  • The One That Got Away: Shayla is this to Tom.
  • Tsundere: Shayla is a type 2.
  • Unresolved Sexual Tension: Between Tom and Shayla.
  • Villainous Breakdown: Johnathan experiences one.
  • Waving Signs Around: In the beginning right outside of the courthouse, Native Americans can be seen doing this in protest for Robbie Whiteshirt's accusation of killing a white woman.
  • Women Are Wiser: Rebecca proves to be this by analyzing Sayla's current situation with her boyfriend and the stance she has taken against her people.
    • Shayla also becomes this at the end of the film after all the trials she is put through.


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