All the Wilderness (2014)

A restless teenager explores the wilderness of his city while struggling with the absence of his father.

Director:

Michael Johnson

Writer:

Michael Johnson

Stars:

Virginia Madsen, Danny DeVito, Kodi Smit-McPhee

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Virginia Madsen	...	Abigail Charm
Danny DeVito	...	Dr. Pembry
Kodi Smit-McPhee	...	James Charm
Isabelle Fuhrman	...	Val
Hannah Barefoot	...	Crystal
Evan Ross	...	Harmon
Chase Offerle	...	Cory
Brent Kublick	...	Black-Hooded Figure
Pat Janowski	...	Carolyn
Tabor Helton	...	William Charm
Gilberto Martin del Campo	...	Gabe
Jacob Block	...	Black hooded figure / passerby
Simos Kalivas	...	Homeless Transient
Brady James	...	Boy with Toy Truck
Richard Chin	...	Antique Vendor

Storyline

James has shut himself off from his surroundings, falling into a world of imagination and darkness. Visits with his psychiatrist have proven unhelpful - though he takes a liking to fellow patient, Val. As James begins to rebel against his single mother, he ventures into the night where he meets a mysterious kid who welcomes him into an eccentric city. Relationships are put to the test as James navigates unfamiliar territory, wrestling with the reality of his own personal wilderness.

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Plot Keywords:

boy | teenage boy | drunken boy | therapist | swimming | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 February 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Wilderness of James

Filming Locations:

Portland, Oregon, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Super Crispy Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chloë Grace Moretz was originally cast but she dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with Kick-Ass 2. She was replaced with Isabelle Fuhrman.

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Quotes

Abigail Charm: [from trailer] One of these days you're going to wake up and realize the world doesn't revolve around only you.

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Soundtracks

Happiness
Performed by Jonsi & Alex

User Reviews

Seemed like a quality film, not my style

I didn't read the summary before watching, but I should have. I was expecting a family adventure about a teen or teens in the wilderness. The wilderness does appear in the first scene of the movie, but it is actually just James walking through some woods that are not that far from civilization. In fact, he appears to be getting chased by bullies. While the same woods appear several more times, mostly in flashbacks, the wilderness he refers to is something his farther described. Most of the movie takes place in an unidentified city.

James listens to depressing music (though compared to the 80s-style alternative garbage that passes for music most of the time in this movie, Chopin actually sounds pretty good to me) and reads depressing literature. He recently lost his father and he is having trouble relating to other people in general. For this reason his mother is sending him to a shrink, who I did not recognize. He is Danny DeVito, now gray with a beard. While in the waiting room James meets a cute girl, Val, with an attitude. Not much happens in the shrink's office and James manages to escape by claiming he needs to use the rest room. Once he does, he sees street musician Harmon.

Later James is out at night in the city despite his mother's concerns and is running from some mysterious people. He gets on a train and there is Harmon. Harmon and James become friends and begin hanging out. Harmon also has a lesbian friend Crystal who sometimes likes men too, so I guess that actually makes her bi. The friends get high and also go to a place where either the composers of the music were high, you have to be high to appreciate the music, or the music makes you think you're high. During his adventures, James sees the food truck where Val works. They end up becoming friends but have fun separately from the others, including in a wilderness area.

James got into a prestigious school, but he appears likely to waste the opportunity. He is actually having a good time being around these people who are a bad influence, though his "girlfriend" has higher moral standards.

I get the impression this was a quality production, but just not the sort of thing that would appeal to me. Most of the leading actors do a good job, and Evan Ross in particular stands out as Harmon, and Harmon's music is quite good (if you like that sort of thing). He can even do what sounds like Chopin. I can't say for sure it was, but from what he said, it must have been.

One scene has some creative editing. James and his girlfriend are at the lake and the audio continues throughout the scene even though it doesn't always match the video. A lot of the time we are just seeing them having fun in the water as they continue to talk.

If you like seeing young people rebel against those who only care about their best interests, and you like terrible music that young people enjoyed in the 80s, this might be for you.