This movie is a must-see for those interested in independent films. This unique story takes place in Fairbanks, and it reflects a side of this city that usually is hidden. This alternative vision is an accurate portrayal of human desires and the human condition. The plot is sordid but the black humor that reflects the darkness of Fairbanks is excellent.
For me it is a very peculiar film, it is definitely worth watching it. Exceptional sense of humor that tends to disregard societal taboos and rules, no matter what, sex, drugs, suicide, loneliness, dysfunctional families, and many other social issues, are shown as a part of the people life. This film is smart, not a dummy commercial movie. It remains me the cynical European cinema that can be seen in festivals like Cannes, introducing an element of self-deprecation and black parody of some antisocial personality that people in Fairbanks have, a very peculiar city that sometimes is a place that inspires the desire to leave. In the film, some people have particular worries about a life that does resemble hell, and they keep going, no matter what, they are doing to hell. Living this bitter illusion of a conformed life, they have to defend themselves against their past that can no longer be sustained. The indulgence of feelings is the alternative to their moral judgments. The movie also shows the kind of emotional wreckage that can result from a twisted family relationship.
Music is good; you will notice in the credits that local groups are playing most of the songs.
The casting has a very good quality. The acting is on a consistently high level, with a special mention to JR Bourne (Truman), his performance is remarkable.
The environment is perfect; you will notice that AK fashion is very special, duck tape in the boots, layers and layers of clothes... Don't miss other details like the plug in for the cars, the outhouse... plus some beautiful landscapes and very acid comments. There are some enjoyable moments, you are sure to enjoy.
The film was at Sundance Festival in the 2008 and it had very good reviews. When I watched the movie at UAF, people were laughing a lot (including myself) because there are some details that are hilarious. This film certainly is not showing Alaska, but it is certainly Alaskan. After the film there was a colloquium where one of the producers explained to us how they made the film in the Fairbanks climate. If living in Fairbanks is hard, you can imagine how difficult making a movie is, the average temperature was -30F, cars, cameras... everything freezes so fast... Also the light was a problem, they had like 4 light hours every day, so they had to be ready and fast to shoot the movie, they could not lose a minute. The low temperatures caused some things to be changed from the original script, for instance, the girl was supposed to be almost naked in the Murphy Dome seen, but she had to keep her clothes on for the -40 shooting day. Another last minute change (this was not because of the cold) was the last word that the grandma gave to the cab driver, originally was "Refrain", but in the last moment the director decided to change it to "???", however the director kept the word "Refrain" in some sense, you will see it in the grandma's room, on the wall.
Always keeping a good sense of humor, the film is a deep critique about many experiences of dejection of our culture, the failure of education and tolerance, how we are highly addictive, the incredible percentage of population that is lonely... it offers a new vision of life that reflects a sad situation in our reality, but also how we find the confidence to go forward.
