GENNY BOOTS
News @ Nine Producer
bootsgj@plu.edu
This was the whitest movie I have ever seen. “Tumbledown” (featuring Jason Sudeikis and Rebecca Hall) premiered for the first time on the West Coast Oct. 9 for the Tacoma Film Festival. Throughout the 105 minute movie, there was never a person of color on the screen. It was weird.
“Tumbledow
n” follows a young widow named Hannah (Hall), whose late husband, Hunter Miles, was a famous folk singer. The surprise death of the singer and his continued post-mortem fame martyred him as a cult favorite.
Hannah attempts to write Hunter’s biography while living in his large shadow.
Hannah’s world is small-town northern Maine, where everything is worn leather and straight from L.L. Bean. There are tasteful animal skulls and indigenous blankets in the rustic lakefront home that Hannah shared with her husband.
Enter: Andrew, a hip New Yorker and university professor. He is working on a book of his own, featuring Hunter Miles when Hannah asks for his help. The two team up to finish the biography.
Throughout their week together, the two fall in love with the northeast winter as a backdrop.
The movie features stunning shots of mountains and sunsets. There is a little comedy, a little love and exclusively white people.
The mediocre plot and the lack of on-screen diversity was a disappointment.
“Tumbledown” has been described as a “crowd-pleaser” by the Hollywood Reporter and “easy watching for multiplex auds.” I am not so sure if those “auds” who don’t identify as a hip, wealthy Caucasian Northeasterner would agree.
Despite the ethical conversations this movie might spark for the more socially minded, the music was incredible, the landscape was remarkable and my wardrobe was inspired.
“Tumbledown” premieres nationwide in February 2016. For more information about the Tacoma Film Fest, visit tacomafilmfestival.com.
