Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Scenic Route Blu-ray Movie Review

Making a Scene

Reviewed by Michael Reuben September 18, 2013

It's not surprising to discover that the two lead actors in Scenic Route, Josh Duhamel and Dan Fogler, rehearsed the film as a play, because almost half the movie plays like a two-hander that would feel right at home in a tiny off-Broadway theater with a few props and a largely bare stage. Scenic Route's searing examination of a friendship gone bad, as the friends' lives headed in opposite directions, is the kind of intense, dialogue-driven drama that works best in an intimate setting where the audience and the performers inhabit the same space. With the intermediary of a camera lens, the viewer pulls away from the characters and begins to judge them. One can't help but become aware of the dialogue's deliberate construction, even when the actors are delivering it naturally—and the drama loses its impact.

Most film directors would try to combat such viewer alienation with multiple closeups and strategic edits; so it's a strange choice when the Goetz Brothers, Kevin and Michael, shoot this entire first section of Scenic Route with minimal closeups (except at night, when the landscape is barely visible), allowing this brutal confrontation between estranged friends to play itself out against the vast empty space of Death Valley, a location chosen only after an exhaustive search for a place where no signs of civilization would intrude into the frame. The Goetzes even rented a helicopter, which they could only afford for a few hours on their micro-budget, to get distant overhead shots of their two protagonists isolated in the middle of nowhere as their veneer of civility dissolved under the relentless desert sun. What were they thinking?

The Goetzes' purpose in their debut feature, from a script by Kyle Killen (The Beaver and Awake), becomes clearer as the story unfolds, but it's difficult to address in a review without revealing too much. Let's just say that Killen and the Goetz Brothers demand a big initial investment from the viewer, and you won't know until the end whether the payoff was worth it.

Scenic Route opens with flash-forward to a violent confrontation between the friends we will come to know as Mitchell (Duhamel) and Carter (Fogler). Then the scene returns to their cross-country drive along a deserted highway through a desolate stretch of desert, where Carter's ancient pickup breaks down.

In the ensuing exchanges, it gradually emerges that Mitchell and Carter were once close friends, probably in college and the years immediately following. Both had artistic aspirations, Mitchell as a guitarist and songwriter, Carter as a novelist. But Mitchell changed direction after a painful breakup, marrying a rebound girlfriend, Joanne (Miracle Laurie), starting a family and taking an office job. He sold his guitars, stopped even listening to music and gradually lost touch with his former circle, including Carter. Secretly, however, he feels restless and finds himself asking: Is this all that life holds for me?

Carter, on the other hand, has held onto his dreams but at the cost of self-imposed poverty. The truck in which they are riding is also his home. He congratulates himself for not selling out like his old friend, but as the years roll by, he is beginning to doubt whether he "has it" as a writer. As he puts it in a moment of candor, "failing, daily failing, is a lonely, miserable business". At alternate moments, he resents Mitchell for abandoning him and questions whether perhaps Mitchell was right to do so.

The highway on which they are stranded—a "scenic route" chosen by Carter on a road trip he apparently had to work hard to persuade Mitchell to take—is rarely traveled. Only a few vehicles pass them by, and circumstances conspire to make them miss the opportunity for help on each of these rare occasions. They are also out of cell phone range. Worst of all, they have neither food nor water. As sweltering day is succeeded by freezing desert night, dehydration and starvation wear both men to a frazzle. Bickering alternates with moments of intimate confession. At one point, Mitchell confesses that he always wanted a mohawk like Travis Bickle's in Taxi Driver, and in a moment of madness, he allows Carter to give him one with the equivalent of a pocket knife. It's part of the chain reaction that leads to the fight with which the film opened.

The fight is a messy, uncoordinated affair, fought with crutches that Mitchell has to use because one foot is in a "boot" from an unspecified injury. In the fight's aftermath, Scenic Route veers off in a new direction about which one can merely say that questions about life choices now shade into issues of life, death and second chances. As the world's most ill-fated drive continues into its later phase, the Goetz Brothers expand their visual vocabulary and do a fine job of keeping you guessing at how the story will turn out. Ultimately, they leave many questions for the viewer to decide. Just keep listening for the cell phone ring.

Scenic Route Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Scenic Route was shot by cinematographer Sean O'Dea using both the Arri Alexa and Red Epic cameras. From the commentary, it appears that the Alexa was used for the desert sequences, which means that the Red Epic would have been used for scenes like Mitchell's extended flashback of an experience at a business conference. The completed film was color-corrected on a digital intermediate to emphasize the hot yellows and browns of the desert during the day and the chilly blues and blacks at night.

The image on Vertical Entertainment's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray appears to be a perfect or near-perfect reproduction of the DI, as one would expect with such a digitally originated project. The image is clean, noiseless, sharp and detailed, except in those portions of the frame where flaring and deliberate overexposure have blown out detail on purpose, to accentuate the sensation of relentless desert sun. The blacks in the nighttime sky are so dark that they almost look artificial, like a digital effect (for which the Goetzes did not have the budget). In the non-desert scenes, the ordinary look provides a nice sense of contrast.

The 86-minute film is presented on a BD-25 with no extras other than trailers and a commentary. Compression artifacts were non-existent.

Scenic Route Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scenic Route's lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 track is as effective for what is not there as for what is. The daytime scenes are almost silent, except for the sounds of whatever activities Mitchell and Carter are engaged in, and their conversation, which is always clearly rendered. The night scenes are dominated by the chilly desert wind, which sweeps through the surround system. Other than the rare occasion when another vehicle passes, no sounds of civilization are heard. A few appearances by a coyote are sonically memorable, because the rustling is so unusual. The fight scene has been punctuated with disturbingly organic sounds, as Mitchell and Carter damage each other as much as they possibly can.

The film's soundtrack was composed by Michael Einziger of the band Incubus. It's minimalist, mournful and spooky.

Scenic Route Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary with the Goetz Brothers and Actor Josh Duhamel: The brother directors relate the many technical challenges of filming under the harsh conditions of Death Valley, especially within their budgetary constraints. They make it clear that they relied heavily on their two lead performers to create the characters of Mitchell and Carter and were thrilled with what they received from Duhamel and Fogler. Duhamel describes the process of rehearsal and working with Fogler and recalls some of the physical challenges (the knee of the leg on which he wore the "boot" ultimately required surgery). None of the commentators delve too far into the film's themes or its interpretation, which they agree should be left up to the audience.



• Trailers: The film's trailer (1080p; 1.85:1; 2:19) is included as an extra. At startup, the disc plays the trailer for Rushlights, which can be skipped with the chapter forward button and is not otherwise available once the disc loads.

Scenic Route Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Scenic Route is a classic festival film. It premiered at Austin's South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2013, where it was reportedly well-received, but its alleged theatrical release in August was so limited that I have been unable to find any record of it. Besides, the Blu-ray presentation is probably better quality than what most commercial theaters would offer. It's an intriguing feature debut by the Goetz Brothers, who are clearly talents to watch. Whether it will appeal to a broader audience is less certain. Personally, I'd prefer to see that off-Broadway production in a tiny theater. Decide for yourselves.