The career
trajectory of director David Gordon Green has been a singularly odd one. He
first made a name for himself nearly 15 years ago, making indie dramas like
“George Washington” and “All the Real Girls,” ruminative coming-of-age tales
set in small Southern towns. But he went on to achieve more mainstream success
in recent years for his raunchy stoner comedies, frequently starring James
Franco, like “Pineapple Express” and “Your Highness.” It appears that we’re
seeing a synthesis of the director’s seemingly disparate styles with “Prince
Avalanche” — screening this weekend at the Dryden Theatre — which focuses on an
occasionally profane bromance that would be right at home in his later work,
examined through the sensitive lyricism of his earlier films.
Set in the late 1980’s,
the film stars Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch as Alvin and Lance, two mismatched road-crew
workers making repairs on a winding stretch of forest road in Central Texas.
The job will last for several months, and between the hours spent painting in
the yellow lines and hammering in reflector poles, the two men are left to
mostly fend for themselves, sharing a tent and hunting for their food.
We learn that
30something Alvin has been working this particular job for some time. The
significantly younger Lance is the brother of Alvin’s girlfriend, and he’s been
hired only as a favor to her. The film functions as a dual character study,
showing the different ways each man has for dealing with the isolation. Already
a bit of an oddball, Alvin savors it, while the perpetually horny Lance goes a
little stir crazy. With only each other for company (aside from a crazy old
truck driver, played by the late Lance LeGault, who makes several stops to chat
with the men as he passes by), the two men are forced to get along despite
their differences, alternately supporting and infuriating one another.
Green is a fantastic
director of actors, and he gets wonderful performances out of his two leads.
Frequently the only actors on screen for lengthy stretches of time, Rudd and
Hirsch are forced to carry the film. The uptight Alvin is a slightly more
serious role than we’re used to from Rudd, but he brings his usual charisma to
the part, making him naturally sympathetic. Hirsch is able to make Lance’s
naiveté and loutish ways amusing rather than obnoxious, and while his character
isn’t far from the typical manchild we’ve seen so often in the Apatow school of
comedy, Hirsch finds the hidden layers. Together, the actors have a remarkably
convincing chemistry.
“Prince Avalanche”
was shot on location at Bastrop State Park in Texas following the 2011 Bastrop
County Complex fire, the most destructive wildfire in the state’s history. The
naturalism of the film is aided in no small part by the use of those real
locations. The stark backdrop of scorched earth and damaged trees are
beautifully photographed by Green’s usual director of photography, Tim Orr, and
it lends even the film’s more comedic moments a hint of melancholy. The musical
score, by Explosions in the Sky and David Wingo, perfectly captures the mood.
The setting leads to
one of the more emotional moments in the film, a heartbreaking scene where Paul
Rudd stumbles across an elderly woman digging through the rubble of her burned
home. As he helps the woman search for a lost pilot’s license, she describes
the experience as feeling as though she’s sifting through her own ashes.
Supposedly, this scene was unplanned, added after the film’s crew came across
the woman, Joyce Payne, at the remains of what was her actual home. I wouldn’t
doubt this explanation for a second; her sadness is palpable, and the scene
is one of the most powerful and moving depictions of grief I’ve seen in a film.
Despite this focus on loss and loneliness, the film is frequently quite funny.
But it’s that combination of sadness with humor that ultimately makes “Prince
Avalanche” an unexpectedly sweet and affecting buddy comedy.
This article appears in Jan 1-7, 2014.
