River of Grass (1994)
Directed by Kelly Reichardt
Genres - Crime |
Sub-Genres - Road Movie, Crime Drama |
Release Date - Oct 13, 1995 (USA - Limited), Oct 13, 1995 (USA) |
Run Time - 75 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - NR
Share on
Synopsis by Judd Blaise
River of Grass has all the elements of a conventional road movie: a car, a gun, criminal plans, and young lovers on the run from an angry father who also happens to be a suspended police officer. But writer and director Kelly Reichardt has instead taken these familiar elements and fashioned an anti-road movie, a deadpan film that is more existentialist comedy than crime drama. The young lovers in question are Cozy, the cop's daughter, and Lee Ray, a shady character from the wrong end of town. Lee Ray comes into possession of a pistol, and soon he and Cozy find themselves unintentionally involved in a shooting. Fearing capture by the law, the two make plans to leave town, committing a series of robberies on the way. However, they don't manage to get very far; indeed, the film's central premise is how the romantic myth of lovers on the lam proves disappointing in the face of a far more pedestrian reality. This well-received, low-budget indie was shot on location in South Florida, placing its story against an appropriately depressed landscape of sun-bleached strip malls, barren highways and overgrown, swampy fields; the title is another name for the Florida Everglades.
Characteristics
Themes
Keywords
car, gun, on-the-run, robbery
Attributes
Low Budget