Tiger Eyes, a Judy Blume story about grief

Tiger Eyes stars Willa Holland as Davey, a teenage girl who just lost her father to gun violence. Her mom takes her and her brother away from Atlantic City to live in New Mexico at her aunt’s place in Los Alamos for a while.

Tiger Eyes is a beautiful film in many ways. It looks at grief from several different perspectives. It released in 2012. Judy Blume wrote the screenplay and her son Lawrence Blume directed the film. This was the first of Judy Blume’s many books to be made into a movie.

The film begins and ends along the Atlantic City boardwalk, but most of the story takes place in Los Alamos as Davey, her mom (Amy Jo Johnson), and her younger brother (Lucien Dale) try to pull themselves together after their loss.

Davey’s childless aunt and uncle (Cynthia Stevenson and Forrest Fyre) take them in. The culture of Los Alamos is so different from what Davey knew before and her aunt and uncle are gung ho about the weapons making mission there. Her aunt is desperate to be a mother and tries to take control of the children away from their mom.

At school, Davey makes friends with Jane (Elise Eberle), an alcoholic in the making who has dreams of being a performer.

While in the rugged canyons outside of town, Davey meets Wolf (Tatanka Means). He is Native American and shows her many things about the area. He also takes her to one of the pueblos where they attend a ceremonial dance. Wolf is given special treatment there in a way that resonates through the main storyline about grief.

Davey volunteers at the hospital at her friend Jane’s urging. She fills water pitchers for patients. She meets Willie (Russell Means) and forms a bond with him. He is close to death, another tie in to the general thematic throughline of the movie.

A bit of trivia from IMDb: “Tatanka Means, who plays Martin Ortiz (Wolf), is the son of Russell Means, the actor and American Indian Movement activist who plays Martin’s father, Willie Ortiz. Russell Means died of esophageal cancer in 2012, after filming on this movie was completed but before the finished film was released. His character in Tiger Eyes also has cancer.”

Tiger Eyes is a quiet movie about figuring out how to live your life after a huge loss. The cinematography was beautiful. Willa Holland was particularly good. I thought her mother was thinly written and Amy Jo Johnson didn’t have much to go on with the part. I really like the authentic and respectful depiction of the Tiwa people that Wolf’s character brought into the story.

Judy Blume is a genius in my opinion. She takes on hard topics and makes them relatable, humorous, and touching for both young and old. This movie is now available on Prime Video, Peacock, Tubi, and a couple of other streamers.