“Peak Season” is the type of indie charmer that gets nearly everything right. While it doesn’t reach any new or thrilling heights, this authentic story of friendship is simple, relatable, and features authentic characters that elicit real emotion from viewers.
Thirtysomething couple Amy (Claudia Restrepo) and Max (Ben Coleman) take a trip out West to Wyoming for a summer vacation in Jackson Hole. Amy has visions of a romantic getaway with her fiancée, but she just can’t seem to get her partner to focus on relaxing. As Max neglects her and opts to spend the week working, Amy makes the most of it and sets off to explore on her own. She encounters friendly local Loren (Derrick Joseph DeBlasis), a free spirited wilderness guide who is hired to take her fly fishing. The two realize that have a lot in common, sharing an instant connection. When Max is called away on business, Loren and Amy spend the rest of the week together. Their bond grows deeper, causing Amy to question whether she wants to return with Max to their lives in New York City at all.
It’s a very simple story about relationships and the power of friendship, and as a person with a workaholic partner, I could thoroughly relate to everything Amy goes through. Through their screenplay, co-writers and co-directors Steven Kanter and Henry Loevner flawlessly capture the human nature of dealing with circumstances like this with wit, grace, and authenticity. Their writing is so real that it hit a nerve with me, and I can only guess it will with others, too. Plus, I learned a lot about fly fishing.
The setting and the gorgeous Tetons provide a stunning backdrop for the film, and DeBlasis and Restrepo have a nice chemistry that works well with the intimate story. It’s a little too long and draggy in parts, but “Peak Season” is a small little film with a great big heart.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 