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“One of those movies whose characters the viewer can simply enjoy “hanging” out with, even as its plot moves inexorably toward a heartrending conclusion, which as deftly handled by writer-director DuBose, is achingly poignant.”
A Simple Yet Exquisite Beauty Which is Inevitably Shattered by Violence
(WARNING: SPOILERS!!)
Hazy nostalgia tinged with mysticism lends a warm glow to the leisurely-paced backwoods Prohibition drama THE LAST BEYOND (Indican Pictures, 2019), whose lyrical imagery gives a simple yet exquisite beauty which is inevitably shattered by violence.
The deceptively simple story begins with young rancher Stratton Eiseley (Chris Snyder) losing his land to the bank after the death of his father and deciding to become a moonshiner with the help of Native American boy Joe Running Elk (Noah Watts) and his wise old grandfather Flying Bear (Stephen Small Salmon).
Along the way Stratton meets and falls in love with Gracie (Jolene Andersen), an aspiring writer from the city, while running afoul of a corrupt sheriff whose methods are shockingly brutal.
Writer-director Graham DuBose’s screenplay is thoughtful and unhurried, giving us time to settle in and get to know these characters while reveling in the rustic atmosphere of their Montana surroundings.
The lead performances are quietly convincing and subtle, even when old Flying Bear is weaving supernatural tales around the crackling campfire and Stratton and Gracie weave their charmingly underplayed romance amidst gently swaying fields of grass.
Scenes of violence, mostly involving the ruthless sheriff’s efforts to track down and dispatch Stratton’s modest moonshine operation hidden away in a secluded mountain setting, are similarly played with matter-of-fact realism.
In each case, DuBose knows just where to set up the camera and when to let it run without fancy moves or cutting, his keenly artistic eye more than compensating for a mostly no-frills budget.
The film sparkles with gorgeous photography of 1930s backwoods Americana, whether in its small-town settings replete with antique props, automobiles, costumes, and other authentic touches (right down to the Lone Star Studios music that plays when they’re watching an old western on Gracie’s projector), or the visual splendor of its breathtaking nature scenes.
The story itself is as much about people living off-the-grid in the wilderness and getting back to nature, spiritually as well as physically, as it is about moonshining.
Still, that latter aspect of THE LAST BEYOND gradually and inevitably comes to the fore — complicated by the appearance of Gracie’s vindictive estranged husband — until the final act becomes a suspenseful life-and-death conflict of primitive proportions that has us rooting for the moonshiners against the bloodthirsty, shotgun-wielding lawmen.
As Quentin Tarantino once said of Howard Hawks’ RIO BRAVO, THE LAST BEYOND is one of those movies whose characters the viewer can simply enjoy “hanging” out with, even as its plot moves inexorably toward a heartrending conclusion, which as deftly handled by writer-director DuBose, is achingly poignant.
TECH SPECS
Runtime: 87 minutes
Format: 1:87 HD
Sound: Dolby Sr.
Country: USA
Language: English
“Masterpiece of a film.”
POLSON — Fourteen years in the making, the motion picture “The Last Beyond,” starring Chris Snyder and Pend D'Oreille Elder Stephen Small Salmon, premiered to a sold out crowd last week at the Flathead Lake International Cinemafest.
Set in Montana, THE LAST BEYOND tells the story of two American Icons - the American Indian and the cowboy - facing the challenges of making a living in the 1930s. Both struggle to earn an income, forcing them into the mountains to start a business together that makes them fugitives. With the business in their hands, the cowboy has to face his past of losing his father.
Graham DuBose & Stephen Small Salmon
During a Q&A session following the film, DuBose and actor Small Salmon talked about his journey into becoming an actor in the film. “When I first started, I had two agents, one in Bozeman and one in Hollywood, Rene Haynes,” said Small Salmon. “They both asked me to go for this movie and Graham asked me to go down to Deer Lodge to audition. When I arrived, Graham asked me if I could talk Indian. I responded with ‘All day, I’m a full blood Pend d'Oreille’ and he told me there’s another person from Browning, Montana that is asking for this part and I don’t want you to give up. I then thought to myself, ‘Wow, what if I got this part? This would be great for this reservation’. I get home, as soon as I walked in the phone was ringing and I pick it up and he said you got the job.”
DuBose described how Small Salmon changed the character of the movie. “When we met in Deer Lodge it was a pivotal moment for us because originally, I had written the character to be Blackfeet, but then when I met Stephen,” said DuBose. “I thought here’s the guy he’s perfect for the part and how he’s grown up, and that we could work with his culture and his stories and language. We kinda rewrote things based on him.”
For Small Salmon, having a role in a motion picture was a dream come true. “I always wanted to get into the movies, and it took a long time,” said Small Salmon. “I practiced here in Polson with Karen and Lyn Duty down at the Polson golf course (with the Port Polson Players). Twelve years I practiced my lines and got into acting. I’ve been in a lot of commercials, about seven, and did two voice-overs and I tell people here, but it’s really good for the Reservation, the people for all of us here for the movies. I know it’s good for the Indian people and good for everybody. We should have more movies like this.”
Filming the movie only took a couple of months, but post-production - editing and getting it to the final product - took fifteen years. “It was quite a labor of love for a group of people that have been working on it,” says film director Graham DuBose. The group filmed in the Livingston area, Paradise Valley and Bozeman.
DuBose talks about his personal connection to the character he wrote and his mental health. DuBose struggled with self-doubt and depression. After filming, DuBose worked mainly by himself, though he had help from his producer and wife, but his depression slowed the process until he started getting help. He acknowledged that depression is often a private and embarrassing issue for people. Getting help pushed the movie toward completion.
During post-production, DuBose’s father passed away. Relating to the movie’s characters struggle with losing his father, DuBose found elements no longer felt right and filmed additional scenes to better flesh out the character’s experience.
When talking about the experiences the group had while making the film, it didn’t stop Small Salmon from making the crowd laugh as he shared what he enjoyed about the process of making the film. “Adam was the grizzly bear. I remember when Troy (the animal trainer) grouped us all around Adam after they brought him out. Troy asks, ‘Where is Stephen who is working with the grizzly bear’ and everyone pointed at me. Troy told me ‘If you’re going to work with the grizzly bear you have to put your hands in his mouth’ and I said, ‘You have got to be kidding me.’ Troy responds with ‘No, I’m not kidding.’ So I put my hand in Adam’s mouth and I said “my gosh he does have thirty-two teeth. Anyways it was kinda scary working with Adam,” said Small Salmon while cracking up the group.
During the process of filming, the group not only finished a masterpiece of a film, but they grew into a group of friends they thought of as family. “A few years after making this movie,” said DuBose, “I proposed to my girlfriend at the time, now my wife, and we didn’t know what to do. We weren’t into the traditional church weddings and we thought we’ve got to have Stephen (officiate the wedding). We got married in Chico Hot Springs. It was amazing; we said our ‘I do’s’ in Salish.”
The group faced many challenges during the making of the film. They had their film equipment tumble down a mountain, endured the death of a close family member, and the constant pressure to push through. “There were times we felt like giving up, but then we would have a breakthrough and the finished product came out well. This is the first film and there are things you wish you could change, but we can’t always change it,” said DuBose.
THE LAST BEYOND won Best Score, Best Montana Film, Best Director and Best Picture at FLIC.