WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY : Steven Kanter & Henry Loevner
About the Film
New York yuppies Amy and Max arrive in the wealthy resort town of Jackson Hole, Wyoming for a summer vacation. Amy wants to enjoy a romantic getaway with her fiancé. But Max neglects Amy to spend the week working, leaving her to wander town alone. Amy finds a friend in Loren, a local wilderness guide who takes her fly fishing. She's immediately drawn to this magnetic, free-spirited stranger. Both lonely and lost in their own lives, Amy and Loren share an instant connection. When Max is called away on business, Amy and Loren spend the week together exploring the Tetons. As her bond with Loren grows into something more than friendship, Amy questions whether she'll return to NYC with Max after all.
Cast:
Claudia Restrepo - Amy Jimenez
Derrick Joseph DeBlasis - Loren
Ben Coleman - Max Rosen
Fred Melamed - George Friedman
Film Details
Completed : 2023
Running Time : 82m
Screener: Click HERE (Password Required)
Country of Origin : USA
Genre : Comedy, Drama Romance
Festivals/Awards : ReFrame (2023) - Best FeatureSXSW (2023)
Movie Poster
Directors Statement
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Henry’s family is originally from the east coast, and although they’ve been living in Jackson for nearly two decades, they probably have more in common with George & Lydia Friedman than anyone else in the film. So it’s especially fun for us to lovingly tease that community, especially the cowboy cosplay you see around town. As Lydia describes in the movie, one is bound to see hedge fund managers and movie stars wearing wrangler jeans, Stetsons and driving Ford pickup trucks. We know a banker from New York who spends his summers in Wyoming where he dresses like the Marlboro Man and exclusively answers to the name “Broncho”. Satire aside, the community is struggling with a serious affordable housing crisis. Wealthy tourists and second-home owners have flocked to Jackson looking for an authentic Western experience. As a result, Teton County now has the highest per capita income in the country. The cost of living has skyrocketed, affordable housing is practically nonexistent, and middle and working-class people have been driven out. So the conflicts between locals, transplants and tourists make for great drama.
Teton County is among the wealthiest communities in the country. Yet, service workers, outdoor guides and undocumented families are sleeping in their cars and overcrowded trailers. Some people travel for hours over treacherous mountain roads to commute to work in Jackson each day. The extreme income inequality in Jackson is just a microcosm of what’s happening around the country. Although this is first and foremost a romance about two people, we also felt it was important to capture the real issues facing towns like Jackson.
Henry’s gotten to know many mountain guides like Loren - outcasts and oddballs who eschew the normal 9-5 for a life of outdoor adventure. There’s a tendency among tourists visiting Jackson to romanticize people like Loren. Of course, this is just a fantasy. The skid life comes with its own hardships. Ironically, many of the wilderness guides we’ve talked to have shared that they feel jealous of their clients, who have economic security, a career that can sustain them through middle age, a community to call home (when many wilderness guides have a seasonal, itinerant lifestyle). One of the outdoor guides that we interviewed put it very well – “For my clients, a week-long trip into the wilderness is like a can opener on their life. Good things and bad are gonna spill out.” People leave these trips convinced they’re going to quit their job, leave their spouse, move to a farm... but then one step onto the jet bridge at JFK and they snap out of it and go back to living their life.
As we enter our 30s, we're seeing our friends settling down, starting families, and committing to their careers. It’s scary to think that as we age, making significant life changes will become more and more challenging. That’s what we wanted to capture with this story, this fear of inertia taking over. For Amy, that means her life with Max and his family, New York, the corporate grind. And for Loren it’s the “skid” life, economic insecurity, and loneliness. There are pros and cons to each lifestyle, so both Amy & Loren find themselves dissatisfied and uncertain about their choices. But in the end, the forces of ‘time, pressure and inertia’ in their lives are so strong that they can’t bring themselves to make a change. And would that even be the right thing to do? Maybe the restlessness they’re feeling isn’t the result of bad life choices but because asking “what if?” is an inevitable part of the human experience?
Even though she’s a far cry from a buttoned-up NYC management consultant (her nose ring and tattoos had to take a leave of absence for this film), our lead actress Claudia Restrepo felt she could bring authenticity and lived experience to the character of Amy. Both women are the ambitious children of immigrants who struggle to reconcile their family’s hopes and dreams with their own. Claudia has also spent quite a bit of time in Jackson Hole feeling a little out of place in the mostly white, affluent resort town.
Our lead actor Derrick DeBlasis had never gone fly fishing before, so he spent several nervous weeks before the shoot binge-watching YouTube to learn proper technique and lingo. Once he arrived in Wyoming he finally got proper fly fishing instruction from Henry’s father and brother. YouTube is still recommending Derrick obscure fly fishing content to this day. Truthfully the character Loren came very naturally to Derrick. He spends a lot of time camping around the rural west with his beloved husky Scout, who cameos as Dorothy in the film. He sees some of himself in Loren’s wanderer spirit.
Ben Coleman is originally from New York and knows too many guys like Max. He seemed to have a never ending reserve of improvised one liners to dish out on camera. But Ben somehow managed to find that perfect sweet spot between an insufferable douche and a loving, sincere and dependable boyfriend. It’s arguably the most nuanced character in the film, played without judgment. Whatever his faults, Max cares for Amy. We wanted the audience to struggle with fully making their mind up about him. Having collaborated with Ben previously on “The End of US,” we knew he would fully deliver on this complex, singular character. Truly our secret weapon was that Derrick, Claudia, and Ben all worked and performed together several times before, on both our previous feature “The End of Us” and a short film “Barking.” We knew they could trust each other as scene partners, to improvise without losing the thread of the story. Above everything else in the film, Jackson happens to be one of the most spectacular places on the planet and a dream location for a filmmaker. Point the camera in any direction and you’re bound to capture something stunning. Production brought us to every corner of the valley. We fished the Snake River, climbed 10 thousand feet to the rim of the Grand Teton and chased lightning storms through the Gros Ventre Wilderness. Making this movie was the great adventure of our lives. And we’re very proud to share it with you.
- Henry Loevner & Steven Kanter
Reviews
‘Within the first few minutes, Peak Season proves itself to be a great hidden gem for lovers of the genre –and by the end, it cements itself as one of the year’s best films overall.’
LOUD & CLEAR REVIEWS | Read Review Here
‘It’s a rare film that takes you on a journey without ever feeling forced or showy – a quiet masterpiece that lingers in the mind long after the credits roll.’
MORBIDLY BEAUTIFUL | Read Review Here
‘…Peak Season manages to craft a heartfelt, authentic, and endearing portrayal of friendship that will not only entertain, but will provoke some thought, too.’
COLLIDER | Read Review Here
‘Peak Season is a well-written and engaging drama. The characters are likable and relatable. The three leads are perfect and play off each other wonderfully.’
FILM THREAT | Read Review Here
The characters were so real and relatable. Beautifully shot film. Charming and subtle humor throughout kept me laughing. Just a refreshing peak into the genuine connection between two strangers.
ROTTEN TOMATOES | Read Review Here
‘On its surface, Peak Season is a light, charming big city girl meets small town boy romantic-comedy that we’ve seen countless times. But as it goes on it surprises you with its surprisingly complex philosophical musings about life, what we want, and what we think want. Where Peak Season ends up is more emotional but life-affirming than you can imagine for a romantic-comedy. If anything, it’s a late twentysomething dramedy that is as deeply introspective and life-affirming as it is charming and funny.’
SMASH CUT | Read Review Here
‘Between the gorgeously considered shots of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where Peak Season takes place, and the small details defining each character, the film is a breath of fresh, high-altitude air.’
THE DAILY BEAST | Read Review Here
The characters and emotion build so smoothly over the course of the movie. The subtle and understated tone amplified how I felt about what was happening on screen, and I found myself deeply relating to the characters' experiences.
ROTTEN TOMATOES | Read Review Here
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