The Big Bend
2021, R, US, Drama, 104 minutes
Florida Premiere
Filmmakers in Attendance
Juried Film
Director: Brett Wagner
Producers: Aaron Brown, Katrina Wolfe
Writer: Brett Wagner
Cast: Jason Butler Harner, Virginia Kull, Erica Ash, David Sullivan, Nick Masciangelo, Delilah Wagner, Zoë Wagner, Grae Mathews, Gavin Mathews
In the unknowable reaches of West Texas, the Talbotts and their two young sons await the arrival of the Price family, old college friends they haven’t seen in a few years. Together, the two families explore the visually striking desert, bathe in mud baths and keep a wary eye out for snakes. With the backdrop of luminous mountains, they reflect on their good lives and happy marriages — despite the dust motes of menace and unease that seem to swirl around them. But when a child goes missing during a hike into the mountains, a father confronts his mortality and a wife decides to reexamine her marriage. Their journey through the desert, as picturesque as it may seem, forces the families to confront their worst fears of unmendable marriages, broken families and even death. The Big Bend follows the survival of these two families in a hauntingly dangerous environment, creating an unforgettable portrait of friendship, parenthood and marriage.
