Montana-made movie coming to Havre

A major motion picture filmed in Montana and directed by Montana directors will debut in theaters including in Havre Oct. 20.

“Walking Out,” directed by Alex and Andrew Smith — directors of “The Slaughter Rule” and “Winter in the Blood” — is based on David Quammen’s short story by the same title and is filmed around Livingston. Quammen was born in Ohio and lives in Montana.

“Winter in the Blood,” based on the novel by James Welch which describes growing up on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, was filmed on location in north-central Montana including on Fort Belknap and in Havre, Harlem and Chinook.

In “Walking Out,” an estranged father and son are forced to rely on one another to survive an unforgiving wilderness.

Once a year, 14-year-old David, played by Josh Wiggins, travels from his mother’s home in Texas to visit his father, Cal, a loner who lives in the remote mountains of Montana, played by Matt Bomer. The two then embark on their annual hunting excursion, during which Cal attempts to connect with his smartphone-addicted son.

But when a terrifying turn of events leaves Cal severely wounded, it’s up to his teenage son to summon enough strength for both of them.

“Infused with a deep reverence for the rugged beauty and harsh realities of the Montana landscape, ‘Walking Out’ is both a tense survival saga and a disarmingly moving father-son tale,” the release for the movie says.

The main theme of “Walking Out,” the directors say, is David’s search for knowledge. David is a modern, ‘plugged-in’ city teenager who goes on a brutal yet profound journey into the heart of the Mountain.

The personal ghost for the directors, the Smith brothers wrote, was witnessing their father die at an early age. Questions about their father haunt them.

“Walking Out” is “a spare bullet-shot of a journey that plunges a teenager into the wilderness to take on the greatest obstacle of all: the lack of known love,” they wrote.

The film asks, what sacrifices are necessary for survival and what is the right way to become a man.