“You have unrestricted authority to yell at my kids,” Corey (Jason Butler Harner) jokes with Mac (David Sullivan), his old friend from college as they reunite for a weekend on the latter’s property in West Texas in “The Big Bend,” bringing their families together on territory where the backyard encompasses the mountains and the Rio Grande. Still, there are clearly topics that are off-limits in writer/director Brett Wagner’s subversive relationship drama when Mac can only lay legal claim to so much of the land, hoping to obtain a little more with the investments he’s made in cryptocurrency and what he hopes others – possibly Corey – might invest in him as he dreams of a working ranch, and as reluctant as he might be to bring the subject up, Corey is holding something back from Mac as he talks about potentially moving his family to Austin from their current digs in New Jersey where being a little closer to his pal doesn’t appear to be the main consideration.
True to its title in ways that go beyond its setting, “The Big Bend” delivers a considerable amount of twists when bringing together two couples that appear to each other to have ideal lives that the reality doesn’t quite hold up. As Corey brings his wife Melanie (Virginia Kill) and their two daughters Olive and Fiona (Zoe and Delilah Wagner, respectively) to the middle of the desert from the city with its high cost of living, Mac and his wife Georgia (Erica Ash) aren’t as stress-free as their quiet life out in the wilderness might suggest. The creaks of a tempestuous water heater and the news of a prison escapee seem ominous when the Prices first arrive, but that becomes the least of their problems when even as the families look like they’re having fun, there are signs of trouble as the couples compare notes, reaching a boiling point when one of Corey and Mel’s kids disappears during a hike and their differences complicate a search for her.
There wouldn’t seem to be much to complain about with the big open sky overhead, but the backdrop makes “The Big Bend” easy on the eyes and reminds of the mere mortals scurrying around the flat land, all caught up in the lives they’ve built and now feel somewhat trapped in. It can occasionally feel as if Wagner gets caught up in what he’s set up as well, attempting to marry the police search for the escaped inmate to the family weekend with mixed results when the tension isn’t where you think it would be. Still, there’s undeniable authenticity in the relationship dynamics that the writer/director shrewdly sees the danger in, recognizing that the gun in the house to stay safe from the “wildcats and the weirdoes” isn’t the threat, but what the characters withhold from one another that threaten to explode like a time bomb. A strong ensemble makes the increasingly desperate situation feel truly wrenching while a soulful soundtrack with original contributions from Shakey Graves and Paul Atkins’ unforced cinematography give the film the feel of the vacation that all involved originally had in mind and while those onscreen may not like the curveballs life throws their way, it keeps things interesting in “The Big Bend.”
“The Big Bend” opens on April 26th in New York at the Look Cinemas West 57th and May 17th in Los Angeles at the Laemmle Royal and May 31st at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar.
