What is it about films like The Revenant and 127 Hours that grips us so much? One of my buddies (J. D. O’Brien) out here in the Twin Cities is a local filmmaker. His first major film was a documentary called Out in the Cold, which you can check out on Amazon Prime. Out in the Cold looks at homelessness in the Twin Cities in the middle of winter (J.D. and his buddy actually spend a week “out in the cold” as they meet some interesting people and tell their stories; check out the website here: http://www.outinthecoldfilm.com/). J.D. has just now written a script for his first feature, which he’ll also be directing, called After the Gunflint, which carries on some themes of survival from his first film. The project is really cool, and they’re gearing up to film this Fall. Yet they need to raise some additional money over the next 10 days in order to ensure that that happens on schedule. Would you consider helping out independent film and local artists?
Here is a short video to orient you to the actors and the project as a whole:
To provide some more context, here is the official synopsis from the film’s website (https://www.afterthegunflint.com/):
David never knew his Father. What he does know, is his job. As much as he tries to be a good father to his teenage daughter, Jenna, he feels lost and uncertain spending time with her as she grows into a young woman. Every summer Jenna goes up to northern Minnesota on a float plane fly fishing trip with her grandpa, David’s father-in-law. David feels lost up there too. But he agrees to go for once and they jump into Pops’ single prop float plane and up into the north woods.
As they hike inland a bit to a better spot, they cross an old-rope bridge that falls as they cross. Jenna’s arm is broken and their cell phones are smashed. Suddenly, they have much greater cares than what type of bait to use fishing. The goal now is to get Jenna out of the woods safely, but the bridge was the only way across the canyon for 20 miles, so now, stuck on the other side than the plane, they have to hike out to to a road 15 miles east of the river where they can hitchhike to a town with a hospital.
They set up camp for the first of two nights. That evening, both Jenna and Pops have questions about David’s father. As David gets more agitated, Pops starts expressing his disappointment in some of David’s choices as a father. Things get heated, and David isolates himself in his tent. Pops, guilty for his words to David, can’t sleep. In the middle of the night, he gets up to stoke the coals of the fire, and has a heart attack. He cries out in pain just before losing consciousness, which wakes the other two, who run to his rescue, but can’t wake him up. He’s still breathing, but can’t regain consciousness.
Jenna’s arm still hurts like hell, but now she and her dad have to get Pops out of the woods alive. They use his hammock and a couple long sticks to rig up a palanquin of sorts that keeps the pressure off Jenna’s arm. They hike all day but are still too far away without sleeping another night in the woods. Can Pops survive the night and get safely to the Gunflint Trail?
And here is the official statement from the Director, J.D. O’Brien, about the project (also from the website):
In the era of #metoo and #timesup, who needs another film directed by a white guy, starring mostly white guys? Before you get too defensive, I applaud and affirm that women, people of color, and the LGBTQ community should be able to spread their wings and have their stories told in their own voices in much greater quantity than they have in the first century plus of filmmaking. But as white men grapple with their loss of privilege in society, some voluntarily and others unfortunately not, we need films that portray honest, positive examples of 21st century masculinity that inspire men to respect themselves and the women around them. This film is about a man who’s wrestling with what it means to be a good father and a good man when he never saw those things modeled for him in his own childhood. It’s about a grandfather who always treated women with respect, and believes his granddaughter can love the woods the way he has. That she can be confident and strong and feminine, that hunting, fishing and camping aren’t just for the guys. And the real hero of the story is Jenna. Whose incredible perseverance and love for her family gives her the courage to do extraordinary things in the face of extreme pain.
I’m making this film because I hope it inspires compassion for what it takes to be a strong, determined young woman like Jenna, and a man who does his best in spite of his flaws like David. I hope the audience can see themselves in the characters, admire their perseverance, and leave with a dash of courage to face their own obstacles.
I’ll be honest. Films of this genre don’t make a profit unless they star Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant) or are directed by Sean Penn (Into the Wild) or Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man, Rescue Dawn). While people love to see these movies on Netflix or Hulu for a quiet night at home, they don’t come out to the theater for them. But do you know who does love movies like this? Festivals. Festivals love new young directors and great acting performances by people with little name recognition before their festival. They want the opportunity to introduce the next generation that will carry the torch of the art form of film, which is part of why I want to make this movie. While I’ve already made a feature length documentary that I’m extremely proud of, in order to advance my career, and the careers of the rest of my team working on this film, I need to make a feature length narrative film on my own terms before another studio will hand me the reigns to their film.
I encourage you to support this film because you believe in good, artistic filmmaking and the skills of the professionals that make it happen. But more than that, I encourage you to support this film because of its message of what it means to be a good man that empowers the women around him and leaves behind a legacy he can be proud of.
J.D. O’Brien
As you can see, this is going to be a cool film that you’re going to want to see. And won’t it feel even cooler to know that you helped support the project?
If you would like to support the production of a great independent film project, here is the fundraising website (https://www.hatchfund.org/project/after_the_gunflint).
And if you would like to follow the production of the film, here is the official Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/afterthegunflint/).
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