This was a surprisingly good movie - You should see it on a big screen. The filmmakers revealed as many shades of people as the landscape revealed shades of green. It is a slow- form character development movie about the transition of a man who is initially stuck in his own head. Not moralistic, not a stoner film, not what I expected. It carefully uses a unique place to interrupt your expectations about how characters should develop. This is one of those independent films which the power-house actors signed onto for the story and experience. Although it relies on a few caricatures of humboldt, it is carefully constructed and respectful. There are some amazing illustrations of the balance between wasting time and doing nothing vs connectedness and community. It is respectful of values that matter, while not cleaning up the messy parts. The cinematography is well done - a large part of living on the north coast is the incredible darkness. The houses with windows that are dark at night. It is definitely an element of the landscape which helps tell the story. I wasn't expecting to write a review, but it would be a good use of your time to watch this movie. It is very much about waking up. Well done.
Review of Humboldt County
