The Revenant sets a new bar in filmmaking as it achieves what most films fail to do—it fairly represents Indians. After all, fairness in representation is all we are asking for. The Revenant exceeded my expectations further because it highlighted two themes that are rarely explored—justice and the beautiful forces of nature. The plot of The Revenant is about bringing justice to a lawless land, as Hugh Glass (DiCaprio) seeks to avenge the murder of his Indian son Hawk (Forest Goodluck). As we learn in the film, justice and revenge are two different concepts.

In The Revenant, the Indians represent justice, as they are moved beyond the stereotypical roles of unpredictable and impulsive brutes. Ree leader Elk Dog (Duane Howard) despises the white invaders (French and American), and he is on a quest to rescue his daughter Powaqa (Melaw Nakehk'o) who was kidnapped by an unknown group of white men. Elk Dog is intelligent and relentless in seeking justice, and he and Glass cross paths on numerous occasions in their pursuits of justice, both unaware of the other’s plight. In the end they are both triumphant.

Powaqa is a paragon of justice and becomes a hero in her own right. With the help of Glass, she is able to inflict a swift and just punishment upon one of her persecutors and escapes captivity. The sequence emphasizes—in a manner that few Indian-themed films have done before—that kidnapping, trafficking, and violating Indian women is a crime, immoral, and is to be met with swift and severe punishment. Powaqa is a character that single handedly dismantles the stereotypes reinforced by earlier films that exploit Indian women as easy prey for sexual violence.