By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.2 cats
Director: India Donaldson
Starring: Danny McCarthy | James Le Gros | Lily Collias | Peter McNally | Sumaya Bouhbal
Year: 2024
Running time: 89
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30319516/reference/
Michael says: “We first meet Sam, hanging with her best friend, Jessie the night before she will head off on a weekend camping trip with her dad, her dad’s longtime buddy and his teenaged son. When her counterpart teen traveler wraps up a fight with his father stating that he is not going on the trip, Sam is briefly concerned, but is resigned to this trip, and the possibility of bonding a little better with her dad, who is divorced, as is his buddy. The middle-aged men behave like childish versions of themselves, her dad, Chris focused on the finer details of camping and getting frustrated when things are packed wrong (even though he’s the one who did the packing), and his buddy, Matt, using humor to deflect a soon-revealed obvious slump in his life.
“As the hiking and camping gets into full swing, Sam reveals a wisdom and emotional maturity that draws out the sensitive side of Matt. Ghost stories around the campfire, gorgeous vistas in the Catskills, a gentle ribbing see the three compatriots falling into an easy camaraderie, until a shift in tone occurs that is compounded by a disappointment. The final third of the movie focuses on Sam as she makes a decision that illustrates her maturity and bodes well for her future.
“Writer/Director India Donaldson’s first feature is sure to draw out the Kelly Reichardt comparisons (particularly to OLD JOY), but she’s not just aping that filmmaker’s style or subject matter. This elegant film explores father/daughter relationships, coming-of-age, disillusionment, and the inevitability of straight, while, male middle-age. Lilly Collias turns in a star-making performance with an expressive face that is frequently caught in close-up or partially obscured Wilson Cameron’s strong cinematography. James Le Gros and Danny McCarthy are great as the two dads, capturing their inherent flaws, and their moments of grace perfectly. Douglas’s screenplay is elegant and powerful, and her direction assured and easy at the same time, given the challenges of an outdoor shoot in just 12 days! A quietly bold debut. 4 1/2 cats
“Screened at the Independent Film Festival Boston 2024”
Brett says: “In an impressive feature film debut, director India Donaldson offers a character study in the form of a three-hander at its core, mostly confined to the setting of a nature hike in the Catskills. Sam is an adept hiker in her last year of high school before heading off to college, now joining her father Chris on what is just the latest of many regular, traditional father-daughter camping trips. Matt, the close friend of Sam’s father and long-time friend of the family, is stuck in the role of being a third wheel on this particular trip since being last-minute rejected by his son for this particular outdoor adventure.
“All three travelers are at their own crossroads in their lives in a sense, and all three are certainly approaching their own internal conflicts in different ways. The members of the trio all seem to know the buttons to push on one another just enough for a good ribbing without taking matters too far. Thus, Donaldson establishes an atmosphere that the audience would be fine with experiencing as a purposeless, light, subdued and unique buddy comedy of sorts if that’s all there was to it. Lily Collias as Sam is next level in her understanding and portrayal of the teen camper, and James Le Gros as Chris along with Danny McCarthy as the friend Matt are sturdy pillars in their respective roles. The chemistry among the three hikers is undeniable, and it doesn’t take long for audience members to warm up to the team of travelers and want to be a part of it themselves, even if at a safe distance away from ticks, probable poison ivy, and powdered peanut butter.
“More remarkable still is how–despite the chemistry–gaps in each character’s understanding of one another are also present at various impasses in their conversations. The hike itself is its own sets of obstacles that mirror the relationships of the three characters who go quite far with their progress together and attain a sense of achievement, yet each person at one time or another suffers a setback or setbacks that remind us how in the game of human nature versus Mother Nature, it’s humans who often come up on the short end. 4 CATS OUT OF 5”
Diane says: “Just saw this in the theater. I’m adding my 4 cats to Michael’s and Brett’s. Breakout perf nom for Lily Collias. 4 cats”