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Take Me to the River

Country: USA, Language: English, 84 mins

  • Director: Matt Sobel
  • Writer: Matt Sobel
  • Producer: Nick Case; Hisami Kuroiwa

CGiii Comment

"Did I just miss something here?"

A line spoken...that seems to sum up the entire film!

Initially, an interesting premise...a 17-year old gay boy is accused of sexually abusing a 9-year old girl...and, then, that storyline simply disappears into thin air! The remainder of the film relies on how much you can accept the gullibility of the lead character...this 17-year old is the epitome for the gullible! One scene, in the river, when the 9-year old mounts his shoulders and...well, let's just say, we - on the review sofa - collectively (and audibly) grimaced!

Take Me to the River leaves you with more questions than it answers...which is not (in itself) a bad thing...but, Mr Sobel needed to give just a little bit more...for his audience to actually care.

The characters failed to engage...and, if this film really was about revenge and false accusation...we needed to engage with the victim(s)...to care.

Directors can be put into three broad categories...those who presume too much from their audience, those who presume too little...and, those who get it just right. Mr Sobel presumed a little too much...quite possibly because he was so close to his project that he couldn't see the wood from the dreaded trees! Where's a decent script editor when you need one!

On a brighter note, the production values are way above average (considering this a a feature debut) as are most of the performances...especially from the younger members of the cast.

Take Me to the River is an original and polished film...let down by that oh-too-common problem experienced by so many auteurs...too damn close to the thing you love. This film demanded distance, hard love and a [brutal] script editor!


Trailer...

The(ir) Blurb...

A Nebraskan family reunion couldn’t seem more backwards to a gay Californian teenager. If Ryder had his way, he’d choose a moment just like this to come out, the bigger the scene the better.

For his mother’s sake however, Ryder agrees to keep quiet, save parading around the picnic in his most audacious pair of short-shorts. Ryder’s antics raise dubious eyebrows from his hardened cowboy relatives, but 9-year-old Molly can’t get enough. She follows her cool California cousin everywhere. After lunch, they walk to the barn to look for a bird’s nest in the rafters.

Their strange encounter, and whatever happened while the two escaped their family’s watchful eyes, makes Ryder the sudden target of suspicion, and places him at the center of a long buried family secret.

Cast & Characters

Josh Hamilton as Keith;
Robin Weigert as Cindy;
Azura Skye as Ruth;
Richard Schiff as Don;
Ursula Parker as Molly;
Elizabeth Franz as Evelyn;
Logan Miller as Ryder;
Ashley Gerasimovich as Abbey;
Seth Young as Trenton;
Amy Hostetler as Terry