Fourteen-year-old Mackenzie is sent to live with her uncle in Juneau when her mother can’t care for her anymore. The living situation quickly takes a turn for the worse, and she runs away to rejoin her mother in Seattle. While on her dangerous journey of sleeping in cars and breaking into hotel rooms, she’s drawn to Rene, a lonesome backpacker looking for tranquility in the wilderness.
Cinematography
Alaska shot like a character—vast, indifferent, unexpectedly tender.
Acting
Ella Purnell's brittle silence; Bruce Greenwood's wounded restraint.
Director
Frank Hall Green
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Green cast Greenwood after seeing him play similarly wounded paternal figures; the role was written specifically for his capacity to convey warmth through reluctance.
Filmed on actual Alaskan trails with minimal crew—Purnell did her own backpacking segments, including the river crossing you think is a stunt double.
US
