Walking Out


Walking Out is a 2017 American survival drama film directed by Alex & Andrew J. Smith, starring Matt Bomer, and based on a short story of the same name by David Quammen. It was screened in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. It was executive produced by Rodrigo Garcia, and it was released on October 6, 2017 by IFC Films. It was filmed on location in Livingston, Paradise Valley, and Bozeman, Montana.

Plot

Once a year, David flies in to Montana from Texas while on school break. David lives with his mother and makes one annual visit to see his father Cal, an avid outdoors man. David is most used to the city life and has a firm attachment to his smartphone, which he incessantly plays games on and texts his mom. Father and son have a rather estranged relationship. David barely looks up from his phone when his dad arrives at the airport to pick him up. Neither seems excited to see the other and Cal makes it clear that he wants David participating in outdoor activities. He's stern with David but they both handle the other with mutual restraint. David would rather not go pheasant hunting but agrees to join his old man. Cal takes it one step further and asks him if he'd like to go on a moose-hunting expedition in the snow-peaked mountains. David is reluctant but also feels obligated to make the trek. High up in the mountains Cal is accidentally shot in the leg and it is up to David to get them both out.

Cast

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 90% based on 49 reviews, and an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Beautifully filmed and powerfully acted, Walking Out effectively balances tense father-son drama against an affecting wilderness survival story." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".