Prince Avalanche (2013)

Perhaps the most bi-polar director working today, David Gordon Green has used his eye for natural beauty in films like George Washington and Snow Angels, and something quite else (perhaps devotion to friends) for his more comedic pursuits like Your Highness and The Sitter. In Prince Avalanche, Green’s pensive appreciation of beauty evokes the likes of Terrance Malick (sans magic hour) and creates a tone of otherworldly introspection; heightening the impact of the film.

Set in the summer of 1988 in the backwoods of Bastrop, Texas, contemplative Alvin (Paul Rudd) and the absent minded Lance (Emile Hirsch) work for the state of Texas repainting roads after a massive fire destroyed thousands of acres of woodland. Alvin has been working on the road crew since the spring, and recently brought on Lance as a favor to his girlfriend, Lance’s sister. As the two struggle to adjust, Alvin to the companionship of the dim-witted Lance, and Lance to the isolation of life on a remote road crew, they each discover a unique friendship they once deemed impossible.

David Gordon Green places his characters in contrast of one another, but unlike other cinematic odd-couples, his characters are on the same footing in relation to general intelligence and social standing (although they would certainly disagree with that assertion). Alvin uses his time to quietly reflect on life and what it means to be a man. Alvin’s wooded surroundings are his Walden Pond, and much like Thoreau, the simplicity of his life in the woods gives him peace of mind and a point from which to reflect on life. Lance is the more free-spirited of the two, and comes across as a standard post-high school male living on his own for the first time in his life. Obsessing over women and socializing, Lance sees his isolation as a prison – holding him back from experiencing all that life has to offer. Their differences of opinion and the placement of responsibility in their individual values puts them always at odds with one another, fighting for (what they consider) their basic liberties. Because the duo are similarly capable, their arguments often end in a stalemate or with Alvin flexing his position of power over Lance and his petty disputes. Creating an interesting dichotomy, Alvin and Lance’s chemistry is magnetic as Alvin berates Lance for some pseudo-intellectual shortcoming, and Lance has no other option than to take it or offer up his own petty retort.

Apart from being an intimately constructed character study, Prince Avalanche is a showcase for David Gordon Green, and near-constant cinematographer, Tim Orr’s undeniable talent behind the camera. Filming in Bastrop, Texas, in the aftermath of a real fire that claimed tens-of-thousands of acres, the two perfectly capture the mood of the film in the semi-charred woods. Half idealized wonderland where Alvin can hone his skills of self-reliance and manhood, and half a barren wasteland of ashes and broken dreams where Lance is being held captive, Green and Orr strike a fascinating balance based on the two men’s perception of their surroundings. In such an unpopulated and vast area, Green cannot seem to keep himself from exploiting the otherworldly beauty of nature. Intercutting his films with shots of sunsets, fallen trees and decimated homes, Green’s ability to capture peace after such a catastrophe is profound. Filming a clear and beautiful stream as it turns murky yellow after Alvin and Lance wash off for the day, or their nomad-like movement from campsite to campsite, Green accents the subtle yet arduous impact they have on nature, while making it perfectly clear that nature can effortlessly re-balance and negate any effect that the two (humankind) may have.

The idea for the film (behind its existence, not the plot, which was a remake of the Icelandic film Á annan veg) was a collaboration between David Gordon Green and the band Explosions in the Sky. The soundtrack is an enormous bolster to the film’s overall mood, heightening Green’s already impeccable camerawork. Light and ethereal, Explosions in the Sky alongside David Wingo create a perfect accompaniment to the intended attitude of the film – becoming a character in its own right.

Deeply reflective and monumentally beautiful, David Gordon Green’s Prince Avalanche is a soulful look into the minds of two thoroughly affected men. A story about how love and relationships can be destroyed by youthful ignorance like homes in wildfire, Prince Avalanche begs its audience to realize self-reliance is an important skill in the short term, but an impossible means of achieving true happiness.