A relatively subdued Baja California road movie featuring a roving American fisherman and his 13-year-old daughter, "Coyotes" is an unassuming low-budget debut from producer-director team Fran and Kevin McCarey, who have much experience in documentaries.
While the U.S. indie, shot in 16mm, is full of scraggly vistas and several encounters with the titular critters, the screenplay by Kevin McCarey and performances are subpar and barely persuasive in most scenes. A world premiere at the recent Nortel Palm Springs International Film Festival, "Coyotes" is notable for its upbeat approach to Mexico and Mexicans.
Shep Dolan (Leo Gannon) is a lifelong wanderer who can't stay still for long. Years ago he gave up trying to be a writer, and his equally hearty wife died in what may have been a suicide. Broke and on the road with his daughter Nora (Kirsten Carmody), Shep steers their clunky convertible toward the town of Loreto (about 800 miles south of San Diego) on the Gulf of California, where he hopes to get work with an old compadre, Scully (Chuck Fadel).
Scully, it turns out, is another long journey away at the tip of Baja, and Nora has found the safe harbor she increasingly longs for. She and Shep stay with a well-adjusted, generous couple (Lina Gallegos, Louis Caracas), and the sweet-natured girl responds to contact with kids her own age and enjoys the challenge of learning Spanish, a feat her father never seriously attempted.
Nora is clearly ready to settle down after an itinerant childhood and Shep is somewhat sympathetic, but he's a schemer/dreamer and takes her with him on a predictably doomed attempt to smuggle two illegal immigrants into the United States. While the way this expedition goes badly is believable, the film takes a steep dive into tragedy and gringos-on-the-run episodes, including a tough trek across the desert and a semi-scary brush with unfriendly smugglers, whose boat they steal to return to Loreto.
The backbone of the film is Nora's growing dissatisfaction with Shep's lifestyle and poor decision-making, though she doesn't try to reform him. She simply longs to be left in Loreto, where she has a chance of growing up more or less happy.
Unfortunately, Carmody seems miscast in her film debut. She is fragile and tentative, with her approach to most scenes too submissive and shy for a character who has endured a fairly rugged life on the road. A certain awkwardness is desired given the character's age, and Carmody does better with the domestication scenes. But she doesn't provide the sparks or all-around glow needed for contrast with Gannon's straightforward characterization of the good/bad dad who'll never amount to much as traditional parent or reliable breadwinner.
COYOTES
Water Street Pictures
Coyote Moon Prods.
Credits: Writer-director: Kevin McCarey; Producer: Fran McCarey; Executive producer: Guy B. Snowden; Co-executive producer: Chip Duncan; Director of photography: Gary Eckert; Art director: Benevelo Maharrey; Editor: Francesca Placido; Music: Peter Buffett. Cast: Shep Dolan: Leo Gannon; Nora Dolan: Kirsten Carmody; Graciela: Lina Gallegos; Cheo: Louis Caracas; Scully: Chuck Fadel. No MPAA rating. Running time -- 90 minutes. Color/stereo.
While the U.S. indie, shot in 16mm, is full of scraggly vistas and several encounters with the titular critters, the screenplay by Kevin McCarey and performances are subpar and barely persuasive in most scenes. A world premiere at the recent Nortel Palm Springs International Film Festival, "Coyotes" is notable for its upbeat approach to Mexico and Mexicans.
Shep Dolan (Leo Gannon) is a lifelong wanderer who can't stay still for long. Years ago he gave up trying to be a writer, and his equally hearty wife died in what may have been a suicide. Broke and on the road with his daughter Nora (Kirsten Carmody), Shep steers their clunky convertible toward the town of Loreto (about 800 miles south of San Diego) on the Gulf of California, where he hopes to get work with an old compadre, Scully (Chuck Fadel).
Scully, it turns out, is another long journey away at the tip of Baja, and Nora has found the safe harbor she increasingly longs for. She and Shep stay with a well-adjusted, generous couple (Lina Gallegos, Louis Caracas), and the sweet-natured girl responds to contact with kids her own age and enjoys the challenge of learning Spanish, a feat her father never seriously attempted.
Nora is clearly ready to settle down after an itinerant childhood and Shep is somewhat sympathetic, but he's a schemer/dreamer and takes her with him on a predictably doomed attempt to smuggle two illegal immigrants into the United States. While the way this expedition goes badly is believable, the film takes a steep dive into tragedy and gringos-on-the-run episodes, including a tough trek across the desert and a semi-scary brush with unfriendly smugglers, whose boat they steal to return to Loreto.
The backbone of the film is Nora's growing dissatisfaction with Shep's lifestyle and poor decision-making, though she doesn't try to reform him. She simply longs to be left in Loreto, where she has a chance of growing up more or less happy.
Unfortunately, Carmody seems miscast in her film debut. She is fragile and tentative, with her approach to most scenes too submissive and shy for a character who has endured a fairly rugged life on the road. A certain awkwardness is desired given the character's age, and Carmody does better with the domestication scenes. But she doesn't provide the sparks or all-around glow needed for contrast with Gannon's straightforward characterization of the good/bad dad who'll never amount to much as traditional parent or reliable breadwinner.
COYOTES
Water Street Pictures
Coyote Moon Prods.
Credits: Writer-director: Kevin McCarey; Producer: Fran McCarey; Executive producer: Guy B. Snowden; Co-executive producer: Chip Duncan; Director of photography: Gary Eckert; Art director: Benevelo Maharrey; Editor: Francesca Placido; Music: Peter Buffett. Cast: Shep Dolan: Leo Gannon; Nora Dolan: Kirsten Carmody; Graciela: Lina Gallegos; Cheo: Louis Caracas; Scully: Chuck Fadel. No MPAA rating. Running time -- 90 minutes. Color/stereo.
- 2/23/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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