Rust Creek
By Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Flawed survival thriller has violence, guns, drugs.
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Rust Creek
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What's the Story?
In RUST CREEK, college senior Sawyer (Hermione Corfield) lands a job interview in Washington, D.C., and prepares for a road trip there during her Thanksgiving break. Unfortunately, traffic is terrible, so she uses her GPS to arrange a shortcut. It turns into a bad idea as she gets deeper and deeper into the Appalachian woods and her signal grows weaker. She pulls over to study a map and is approached by Hollister (Micah Hauptman) and Buck (Daniel R. Hill), who at first seem friendly but quickly turn aggressive. Sawyer fights back and, despite being stabbed in the leg, makes a run for it. She gets lost in the woods and spends the night in a ravine, only to be found by Lowell (Jay Paulson), a meth cook who lives in an isolated trailer. He takes her in and dresses her wounds but keeps her prisoner until he can figure a way to get her out. Meanwhile, the crooked Sheriff O'Doyle (Sean O'Bryan), Hollister, and Buck are on Sawyer's trail.
Is It Any Good?
This low-budget thriller has good pacing and a fascinating character dynamic, but it's so riddled with lapses of logic and frustrating behavior that it comes totally undone before it gets going. The character of Lowell is the main reason that Rust Creek works as well as it does. Most of the Appalachian characters are portrayed stereotypically as dimwitted hayseeds or brutal bullies, but Lowell is surprisingly bright and sympathetic, even tragic. Even though he's never been anywhere or done anything, he takes pride in his job and has learned the chemistry behind it, and Sawyer's relationship with him grows into something unexpected.
But, backing up, there's no end of problems with the script for Rust Creek. Why is Sawyer's job interview scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend? Why does she drive so far into the wilderness before she tries to find her way out again? How does she so quickly and easily get lost in the woods (she scrambles up a hill to escape; all she had to do was head back downhill)? Why is her car reported as "abandoned" after only a few hours, and who on this desolate stretch of road reported it? And why does she discard her hoodie in the woods when it's going to get cold? And so on. Moreover, the good-hearted deputy, Katz (Jeremy Glazer) -- who otherwise seems pretty savvy -- seals his fate when he drops his keys. It goes on, with one silly behavior or decision or coincidence after another, and the aggravation of Rust Creek soon outweighs the enjoyment.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Rust Creek's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
How are drugs depicted? Does the fact that Sawyer helps Lowell cook meth normalize the drug? Why, or why not?
What is empathy? How do the characters demonstrate it? Do you consider any of them role models?
Movie Details
- In theaters: January 4, 2019
- On DVD or streaming: January 6, 2019
- Cast: Hermione Corfield , Jay Paulson , Sean O'Bryan
- Director: Jen McGowan
- Inclusion Information: Female directors, Female actors, Female writers
- Studio: IFC Midnight
- Genre: Thriller
- Run time: 108 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: violence, language and some drug material
- Last updated: May 16, 2024
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