- Release year: 1994
- Director: Kelly Reichardt.
- Producer: Jesse Hartman.
- Screenplay by: Kelly Reichardt.
- Cinematography by: Jim Denault.
- Music by: John Hill.
Synopsis: two losers are playing with a gun and accidentally shoot at someone. Without checking if anyone was actually hurt, they decide to live like fugitives and run away from their origin hometowns.
Shotgun Commentary: an exploration of wasted lives and hopelessness.
Review
River of Grass is one of those films that merely holds up a mirror in front of reality and lets you watch. There isn’t much fantasy or ludicrous events in it, merely a pointless escalation of events brought by the characters’ desire to be more than they actually are. A film so painfully normal has never been so…well, painful.
Match made in swamp
The feature follows Cozy (Lisa Donaldson), a woman who has lived life on the comfortable side of things, not economically, but in all the decisions she’s ever made. She never takes risks and simply goes through the motions of what she’s been told life is supposed to look like.
As a result, she is living an unfulfilling life with a husband she doesn’t love, children she doesn’t care about, and a job that only reminds her of how pointless her existence is. This is the destiny of an enormous amount of people, people who give up and settle. A reality so common in real life that you can’t help but feel touched by it.
One night, Cozy meets Lee Ray Harold (Larry Fessenden), a good-for-nothing man in his thirties that, much like Josh (Companion, 2025) and Tales (Tummy Monster, 2025), thinks he is owed more than he has. This inferiority complex only gets worse when you add a gun to the equation. A deadly apparatus that he doesn’t know how to own nor use responsibly. Like many men who feel small, he immediately becomes cocky thanks to the gun, but not any smarter.
Chill violence
Joined by their sense of nonfulfilment, the couple begin to play with the gun until it goes off into what they think is the body of a person. Not only don’t they stop to check if the person is alright, they don’t even bother checking if they actually hurt a person at all. On their rush to become fugitives like Bonnie and Clyde or Thelma & Louise (1991), they forget the most important bit of those “exciting” lives they are so eager to embrace: actually killing someone.
The best way to describe the feature would be Dazed and Confused (1993) meets Thelma & Louise. Not only due to the nature of the characters and the general plot, but also because of the decade. The 90s has a very distinguishable style, one that feels grainy and over-saturated, aggressive but somehow chill. There is a calm violence in 90s movies that shines bright in River of Grass.
In a tale where not much happens, but there is an underlying anger simmering, the style of the movie reinforces this message. The scenes are mostly paused, with not much action at all. However, violent acts or images cut through it to spice it up. The same goes for the colour palettes. Cold, unsaturated tones –mostly blues– reign on screen, providing visual calm. Still, this calm is occasionally interrupted by the odd red prop, signboard or even filter.
All in all, River of Grass is a story that knows what it wants. It has a clear message and a very raw way to express it, making it both fascinating and unique in its own way. Its low budget adds to the appeal, as it highlights the ingenuity of the whole production. Overall, it’s a great feature for anyone interested in dramas very much rooted in reality and with a twisted sense of humour.
Radiance’s Blu-ray of River of Grass is out now. Link and details below!
LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY FEATURES
- 2K restoration by Oscilloscope Laboratories
- Uncompressed stereo PCM audio
- Audio commentary by Kelly Reichardt and Larry Fessenden
- Audio interview with writer and curator So Mayer (2024)
- Larry Fessenden: Invisible Man, Renaissance Man, Monstrous Midwife – a visual essay by critic Anton Bitel on the career of actor and producer Larry Fessenden including his work with Reichardt and other independent filmmakers (2024)
- “Drive-by” outtakes
- Restoration featurette
- Trailer
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
- Limited edition booklet with new writing by Caitlin Quinlan
- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
Find the Radiance release right here!
Advice to take from this movie:
- Running away isn’t always the answer… but sometimes it is.
- A gun won’t make you any less of a loser than you already are.
- Be picky with the company you keep.
What’s your take? Have you watched River of Grass? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀