Hunter Gatherer is a little film that demonstrates the value of fully-realized characters.  It is not a flashy film or a high concept one, but it is powerful in its own way.  Through the misadventures of a man just released from prison, Hunter Gatherer illustrates the constant struggle we all face as we try to find our way in this crazy world.  The characters are a little exaggerated but not to the point of farce, and the film succeeds in large part because there is something real at their core.

The two protagonists are particularly memorable.  Andre Royo and George Sample III play off each other well and their actions, while often nonsensical to the viewer, have a certain logic that makes their antics believable.  Given the bizarre schemes these characters are involved in, writer/director Joshua Locy deserves a lot of credit for making the characters convincing.

Locy’s efforts pay off because as things turn for the worse, we feel these characters’ pain and understand their responses even if we would have done things very differently.  And we would have done things differently, because if either of these characters made even slightly rational decisions then the movie’s whole course, including its starting point, would have been completely different.  That it could have been avoided with a little common sense makes Hunter Gatherer’s ending all the more heartbreaking.

Like so many small indie films, Hunter Gatherer is unlikely to get a wide release, but it is making the rounds on the festival circuit.  If you have the chance to see it at one of those festivals, I would recommend that you take advantage of the opportunity.   As an aside, we do our best to post release information on our Twitter feed (@AssholeMovies) for all the films we review.  So if you’re not already following us there, now is a good time to start!