MYST POST #1: Prince Avalanche

I first heard about Prince Avalanche in a review from the Chicago Tribune. Although it's an independent film I was surprised that I hadn't seen any previews for it or heard any other information about it since two well-known actors-Emile Hirsch and Paul Rudd-star in it. I was interested in seeing it because of how much I enjoyed Emile Hirsch's performance in Into The Wild. It surprised me though that here Emile Hirsch gives an entirely different (albeit wonderful) performance, and it made me respect him more as an actor. The Chicago Tribune gave a fairly good review so I went into it expecting to be pleased, and I can confidently say that I was. An interesting fact about the movie: it was shot in only 16 days!

This film is based off of the 2011 movie Either Way. It tells the story of two highway workers in a Texas state park who often have no one around but each other. They are working together because Alvin (Paul Rudd) is dating the sister of Lance (Emile Hirsch). The contrast in these two characters made for an interesting plot. Alvin values his time alone in nature and would rather stay at camp on the weekends while Lance would much rather be out spending time in the city. Their relationship becomes stronger and (most of the time) friendlier as the movie progresses.

During the whole movie there are only 5 major characters involved, and we only see 4 of them. The incredibly small cast left a lot of room for focus on nature and Alvin and Lance's isolation in the middle of nowhere. There were a lot of panning nature shots, which emphasized how alone the two workers really were. The use of dialogue also serves to demonstrate their isolation. For the first 6 1/2 minutes of the movie there is no dialogue, not even music, until Lance turns on music that Alvin doesn't approve of.

I think it's an interesting choice to start the movie this way because it shows the iffy relationship between the two men. It's also interesting that the song that is playing is "Bad Connection." This song is one that, later in the movie, brings them together. Much of the movie's lack of dialogue is replaced by instrumental music, which illustrates the moments of silence most near the beginning of the movie.

There is one scene in the movie that really stood out to me and it happens after Alvin notices a forest fire survivor walking among the rubble of her burnt down house. He goes to her and has a short conversation with her and learns that she is looking for items she had lost in the fire. After talking with her, Alvin walks off to another part of the house where he acts out a little story by himself. Soft instrumental music plays in the background while he pretends to walk through a still standing house and talk with his wife. Something that was intriguing in this scene was how the camera was separated from Alvin. Often times the viewer sees him from behind a pile of rubble. It is as if we are separated from the scene and observing him in a private moment. Slow-motion was used at times in these scene and a few other times throughout the movie to heighten the drama, and I think it worked well for this scene.

Prince Avalanche is a movie that I would definitely see again because of its originality and casting choices. Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch were perfectly cast in their roles. I would give Prince Avalanche a rating of 4/5 stars. The characters that were included were interesting, but I wish there would have been a little more of a resolution with the woman whose house burned down. Near the end of the movie we see her get into a truck with another of the characters, an older man, who doesn't know (or acts like he doesn't know) that the woman is in his truck. I didn't understand this scene but maybe it was there to demonstrate the power of illusion, which seems to be a theme in the movie. Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and it rose above my expectations.

Rating: ★★★★☆