A first look at the trailer for Manifest West, a film about a family’s quest to live off the land. Trailers like this one illustrate that retreating from the world at large doesn’t free its inhabitants from problems; rather, it only brings those problems with its retreats to the summit. It’s a coming-of-age story told from a girl’s point of view, and it’s directed by Joe Dietsch and Louie Gibson. The family’s journey into the North American wilderness quickly turns violent, and the gaps in their relationships deepen over time. At the beginning of the video, the family appears to be picture-perfect, with the mother (Annet Mahendru) and father (Milo Gibson) selling their relocation to the woods as an adventure for their daughters Riley (Lexy Kolker) and Mary (Megan Boone) (Madison Friedman).
It is portrayed as a joyous celebration, with music building in intensity as the four people adjust to their new, independent lifestyle. With no formal education, no formal employment, and nothing but the land at their disposal, it gives the impression that this will be a moving film about a close-knit family surviving in the wilderness. Even the other mountaineers are accepting of them. However, things begin to change gradually at the midway point. The mountaineers give out a disturbing atmosphere, which appears to have rubbed off on the father, through their mannerisms and the attitude that they think they are superior to ordinary people.
Child protective services showing up at your door implies that the father has a criminal past and maybe abusing his children. From then, things go from bad to worse as family strife escalates, the authorities shut in on the mountains, and the patriarch takes up arms to defend his family’s way of life. Manifest West is Dietsch’s second feature film; his first, Happy Hunting, was a collaboration with Mel Gibson that received critical praise. Whether in the role of executive producer or co-creator, the pair have worked together before, most recently on the 2017 release Grow, which Brian Gottlieb also executive produced.
Mahendru, who co-starred with Peter Vack and Philip Tabor in the horror film, was also one of their first co-workers there. Dietsch and Gibson’s has all the makings of another festival hit, much like Happy Hunting did. The dramatic debut took place at the Mammoth Film Festival, where it received the award for Best Genre Film; in July, the enormous Samuel Goldwyn Films acquired the rights to distribute the film in North America. The film also features Tim Heidecker and Michael Cudlitz in addition to Mahendru, Gibson, Kolker, and Friedman. On November 11, Manifest West makes its debut in cinemas and on digital platforms.