The premise of the movie is compelling for anyone who has experienced the cutthroat nature of academia: The main girl Alex has her research idea stolen by her (ex) boyfriend. And her new research plan takes her to the Nevada high desert, but she is not supported by her advisor.
The movie shows a lot of realistic geology field work, which is pleasantly surprising since most movies about "science" seem more focused on the drama and making things appear high tech, when in reality there is a lot of wandering around the outdoors with a map, trying to piece things together. However, I am not sure how entertaining this is to anyone who is not an academic or a geologist.
Alex then meets Nick, the son of a local rancher. I enjoyed this subplot of the film, showing how ranchers can struggle to make a living for themselves, and different aspects of ranch life. Unfortunately towards the end, Nick became incredibly whiny. At the beginning he seemed sweet and was able to break down Alex's walls a bit (she was incredibly standoffish at first). I understand the movie was trying to show how much Nick was being affected by the fear of losing the ranch, but he really just came across as quick to anger and place blame on others.
But overall I enjoyed watching the relationship between Nick and Alex grow and become deeper. If anything I wish we could have seen even more interactions between the characters, to really show how close they became in only a matter of a few weeks.
The ending was bittersweet, but overall left me pretty pleased with the movie.
In summary: Pros
Cons:
The movie shows a lot of realistic geology field work, which is pleasantly surprising since most movies about "science" seem more focused on the drama and making things appear high tech, when in reality there is a lot of wandering around the outdoors with a map, trying to piece things together. However, I am not sure how entertaining this is to anyone who is not an academic or a geologist.
Alex then meets Nick, the son of a local rancher. I enjoyed this subplot of the film, showing how ranchers can struggle to make a living for themselves, and different aspects of ranch life. Unfortunately towards the end, Nick became incredibly whiny. At the beginning he seemed sweet and was able to break down Alex's walls a bit (she was incredibly standoffish at first). I understand the movie was trying to show how much Nick was being affected by the fear of losing the ranch, but he really just came across as quick to anger and place blame on others.
But overall I enjoyed watching the relationship between Nick and Alex grow and become deeper. If anything I wish we could have seen even more interactions between the characters, to really show how close they became in only a matter of a few weeks.
The ending was bittersweet, but overall left me pretty pleased with the movie.
In summary: Pros
- excellent developing friendship between characters Nick and Alex
- showing realistic geology field work, and the power struggles of academia
- showing the realistic struggles of small family ranchers
- beautiful cinematography and scenery
Cons:
- I wish the relationship between Alex and Nick could have been a bit more fleshed out, to really emphasize their bond
- Nick became a bit too whiny towards the end.