Courtesy of SXSW
The older we get, the fewer first kisses we have. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing: Many of us aspire to find that one true love, sticking with them til death do us part. But what if there isn’t just one? Or worse, what if the one we’ve settled for isn’t actually the love we want or need after all?
These questions drive Peak Season, which premiered at SXSW over the weekend. It’s a rom-com that ends in tears, and a melancholic love story with a lot of laughs. That seems to be the point of co-directors/writers Steven Kanter and Henry Loevner’s script, which feels alive in ways many recent films about love don’t. Between the gorgeously considered shots of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where Peak Season takes place, and the small details defining each character, the film is a breath of fresh, high-altitude air.
Amy (Claudia Restrepo) and her fiancé Max (Derrick DeBlasis) arrive at Max’s family’s giant vacation home in Jackson Hole with every intention of relaxing. Amy recently quit an unfulfilling consultancy job, much to Max’s chagrin; Max is a high-powered exec in a supply chain management company that commands all of his attention, so he can’t imagine a life without work. Still, the pair seem happy, even as Amy dreads wedding planning and catching up with her future in-laws’ friends.