Dec 15

Dec 15 FILM REVIEW: "The Peanut Butter Falcon" is a love letter to the human spirit

What a warm hug of a movie this is. After being floored by Florida actor Zack Gottsagen at a camp for actors with disabilities, writer-directors Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz set out to write a part specifically tailored for him. The result is an uplifting Mark Twain-esque love letter to the human spirit, buoyed by two compelling and powerful performances.

Set in the North Carolina Outer banks, The Peanut Butter Falcon follows Zack (Gottsagen), a young man with Down Syndrome who has big dreams of becoming a professional wrestler. After hearing about a wrestling school run by his hero The Salt Water Redneck (played with reliable awkward charm by Thomas Haden Church), Zack manages a comically oily escape from the nursing home he is forced to live in, with the help of his elderly friend and roommate Carl (Bruce Dern). His frantic departure leads him to stow away in a boat owned by embittered young crab fisherman Tyler (Shia LeBeouf), who is battling demons of his own and is on the run from two vengeful rival fisherman.

After a tense initial meeting, the two form a close bond, and Tyler becomes devoted to Zack’s dream of reaching the mythical wrestling school. Both Tyler and Zack are pitted against a cruel, indifferent world. The nursing home that Zack escapes from has a callous take on his humanity. He feels trapped in a system that neither understands nor cares for the yearning he exhibits behind his confused and doe-eyed persona. Similarly, Lebeouf’s downtrodden fisherman Tyler is held captive under his own lack of prospects in a system he doesn’t fit into. Poor, desperate, and reeling from the death of his brother, he behaves recklessly and is cast out into the recesses of the deep south. Together the two become symbols for the resilience of the human spirit, and their friendship goes from strength to strength as they are forced to rely on each other in equal measure on their journey through the muddy swamps and sprawling vistas of the deep south.

Shia LeBeouf is a revelation. His somewhat spotty track record (I’m looking at you, Transformers) belies a powerful and intense presence that is on full display here. His grizzled and mumbled beginnings in the film give way to an open, warm-hearted performance brought on by his burgeoning friendship with Zack, who is undoubtedly the heart and soul of the film. In his feature film debut, Zack Gottsagen’s charm and charisma shine brightly, as does his comic timing, as he gradually takes control of his life and relishes the joys of freedom as an individual with some semblance of autonomy. Also on board is the sweet-natured Eleanor, played with a discerning tenderness by Dakota Johnson. Her pursuit of Zack leads her to confront her own prejudices and misapprehensions about Zack’s personality and condition, serving as a timely reminder of societies often egregious hypocrisy in pandering and talking down to people living with Down Syndrome.

Their journey echo’s that of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in many ways, but thanks to powerful performances by both Gottsagen and LeBeouf, the film is not bogged down with nostalgia or distracting profundity; it has fun, and enjoys itself. It looks and sounds beautiful, with elements of bluegrass, country and rock punctuating the soundtrack and complementing the rural atmosphere. The film is also beautifully shot, with Nigel Bluck (True Detective) casting an acute eye on the natural environment and how it cradles and nurtures the two’s desire for adventure.

It’s a stretch to see The Peanut Butter Falcon do particularly well at the box-office. It is, after all, an indie movie with a humble and modest presence. But what it lacks in box-office potential it more than makes up for in heart and soul, and thanks to the two compelling performances, it may very well be a cult favourite, revered for years to come.