Patrick Mulcahy says no happy ever after but hope
The battle between capitalism and socialism is played out vividly in the American independent film, “Peak Season”, written and directed by Henry Loevner and Steven Kantner. It’s a love story set in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, a wilderness with shiny clean rivers, rock faces that can give a climbing novice a sense of accomplishment and non-judgmental friendliness from townsfolk. It’s the sort of place Americans say they want to retire to, when what they really want to do is to stick it to their boss. The film presents have and have nots as having equal strength. The haves thrive on the pressure to over-achieve (good for business). The have-nots live through the pressure of getting through the week with limited resources. We admire the have-nots for their adaptability, acquired not without cost. The haves can be assholes.
When we first meet him, Loren (Derrick Joseph DeBlasis) is sleeping in his car, woken by an old guy who warns him that he doesn’t want to be caught by the local police. Loren has a dog in the front seat, but he’s not a neglectful owner, rather a good provider. By day, he teaches visitors how to fish while standing in the river, providing them with waders and overalls. He cautions them not to expect to catch a fish first time. He also washes dishes in a local diner, gives climbing lessons, and occasionally does gardening.
He has a best friend, Josh (Will Neff), who dog-minds for him and shares snatched saunas after paying customers depart. He has consciously not sought solidity because he enjoys knowing that he has a skill to impart what businesspeople lack. His opposite is Max (Ben Coleman), who blows into town with his fiancé Amy (Claudia Restrepo). Amy is a second-generation Mexican American; she speaks Spanish to the housekeeper. She has recently quit her job in advertising – has a job offer but would rather explore options – and is tasked with planning their wedding, which involves 250 guests and the calling in for a favour from a relative of Dave Matthews of Dave Matthews Band farm. Whilst Max enthuses about the actual artist playing “Ants Marching” at their nuptials. Amy prefers a different song.
Max is booked in for a fishing lesson with Loren by another family friend only he has to go back to the city. Amy stays on to take the lesson and connects with Loren. They have an easy chemistry. He doesn’t mind sharing his painkillers with her; he has recurring shoulder strain. She doesn’t mind sharing his car after Max took the hire vehicle to head for the airport. It’s a small town. They keep running into each other to the point where something romantic might occur.
At the film’s core is a bar scene. Loren is drinking with Josh. Amy has tagged along. Josh is on the verge of leaving. His dad has threatened to cut him off. Loren tries to talk him out of it. Amy takes Josh’s side. The undercurrent of the scene is clear. By separating Josh from Loren, Amy has a shot of making Loren think about laying down foundations (getting a home). She is also announcing her emotional investment. Loren hasn’t entertained the idea of romance; male friendship is as good as it gets. Josh is thinking about old age.
Amy and Loren’s relationship cools. When she sees him in a store buying a six pack of beer she encourages him to take a shower at her holiday home, a place so huge it has two showers. Amy has laid out snacks. They are both refreshed. Then comes the unexpected interruption.
“Peak Season” is one of those rare love stories that actually makes you feel invested in the central relationship. We know Max isn’t going to be a great husband because he curses out Siri. If he does that to Artificial Intelligence, just imagine what he will be like with people. He even gives Loren a tip to thank him for taking care of Amy, reducing a romantic rival to a hired hand (he knows what he’s doing). When he is recognised by an old flame he and Amy happen to run into, he doesn’t even introduce her. This is standard manipulative film making. However, we’ve met men like Max before. They don’t practice or inspire kindness.
The film speaks to an audience whose view of open spaces is mediated by technology. Loren shows Amy a stunningly formed cliff face and she exclaims, “it’s a screen saver”. Of course she would think that; like most of us in the early 2020s, she’s been on her laptop too long. Loevner and Kantner made the 2021 Covid romantic drama, ‘The End of Us’. ‘Peak Season’ speaks to an audience that survived the Covid interruption. It certainly spoke to me. Charmingly understated and packing a winning punch, it doesn’t give us “happy ever after” but instead provides hope.
“Peak Season” awaits UK distribution but is on release in the US and Netherlands