|
Southbounders
Directed by Ben Wagner
Starring: Amy Cale Peterson, Scott Speiser, Chris Mccutchen, Jeremy Kaplan
Script: Ben Wagner
Running Time: 1:27
Country: USA
Year: 2005
Official Site: Southbounders
|
|
An indie feature shot on DV on a shoestring budget, Southbounders follows Olivia (Amy Cale), a young woman who, before going to college, decides to take a break to venture on the Appalachian Trail. As she embarks alone on a 6-month hike, "southbound" from Maine to Georgia, she crosses path with a few colorful hikers, including a young man (Scott Speiser) whose poetic notes left in the journals of shelters intrigue her.
Shot with a documentarial and naturalistic feel, often bordering on improvisation, the film aims at making us experience life on a trail, using the romance between the two central characters as a narrative thread. Writer/director Ben Wagner took the same path, just after graduating from film school, and there is no doubt that Southbounders breathes with authenticity.
Those who've been involved with serious hiking — including yours truly — will certainly be familiar with the typical incidents and hiker profiles encountered during the picture — except maybe for the naked guy. However, once you get past the clichéd romance between the career-oriented girl and the artist and the endless shots of the forest, you are left with nothing more than after having watched a Huell Howser show on PBS. Wagner uses the same kind of approach — tongue-in-cheek with affection toward its protagonists — but what might look charming on TV falls short on the big screen. Wagner's melancholic mood, nature shots and bare narrative are not enough to give his project legitimacy for a full-fleshed film.
Of course you could argue that this is actually the same foundation as in some of Gus Van Sant's works, mostly Gerry and Last Days, but Wagner lacks his visual mastery and, most importantly, fails to create underlying themes and poetry below the basic surface.
Cinematography-wise, the poor-looking video style has now become tiresome, reflecting a certain aesthetic laziness from young filmmakers, especially as 24p modes are now available on miniDV camera — just compare Southbounders to November, a fine cinematic piece shot in miniDV and you will see what I mean.
Hikers, Southbounders and northbounders alike, will certainly enjoy going on this trip along with Wagner and his characters, while the others would be better off taking a different path.
Fred Thom
|
Copyright ©1998-2017 LA PLUME NOIRE All rights reserved.
|
|
Southbounders review
