NR | 1h 25m | Adventure, Drama, Family | 2018
It’s a tasty treat to sample indie film hors d'oeuvres now and then, especially when many big-name studios seem content to serve up reheated leftovers from a franchise buffet.
This excess of CGI explosions and minimal meaning has driven many movie lovers to seek out something more nourishing, so it’s no surprise that faith-and-family films and other heartfelt indies are gaining traction.
Rough Beginnings
Set against the lush backdrop of the Appalachian Mountains, our tale begins with a voiceover from the main character, Bird (Morgan Wolk). She gives the lay of the land—Red Pine, North Carolina, population 1,152. There she lives in the only cabin on Silver Cove Lake with her brother Boe (Alec Shaw), their buddy Larry (Anderson Boyd), and two kids they raise like their own. The group is tight-knit, fiercely loyal, and seen by the town as lovable outlaws.
Bird and Boe have been running moonshine since they were barely out of elementary school. Yep, Appalachian career planning starts early. The children’s parents, Matt (Paul Gunter) and Chloe (Kayli Maree Tolleson) were former members of Bird and Boe’s crew. After they were gunned down in a police raid, the siblings stepped in to care for the children. Larry joined up not long after. Together they’ve formed a kind of found family, one that lives on the fringe but sticks together through thick and thin.
Moonshine takes a backseat in this story. When a group of masked bank robbers needs someone to sneak their stolen loot past law enforcement roadblocks, they call in the best “’leggers” in the game, Bird and Boe.
A Journey of Discovery
Director Jacob P. LaGuardia smartly lets the landscape do a lot of the heavy lifting. The cinematography revels in its surroundings: rolling hills, thick forests, sun-dappled rivers. The scenes are captured in that glowing indie-film light that somehow makes everything feel just a bit more magical.
Along the way, the group encounters a handful of memorable characters. Boe takes his sister to see Tru (Paulus Berensohn), a wise Native American elder with healing herbs and better insight than most therapists. His presence gives the film a touch of quiet mysticism, like Obi-Wan Kenobi with a dreamcatcher instead of a lightsaber.
Then there’s Willie, a shirtless, grizzled old hippie (The actor isn’t named. Perhaps he vanished into the woods after filming). Willie’s role is part comic relief, part nostalgia dispenser. He waxes poetic about the “good ol’ days” when bootlegging was, hmm, a nobler profession.
The Right Thing
“As the Crow Flies” isn’t showy, but that’s its strength. It meanders a little, like the rumbling green rivers it so lovingly captures, but never loses sight of its heart. The film embraces themes of loyalty, redemption, and the small but essential choice to do the right thing, even if you’re an outlaw.It’s also one of those rare family films that doesn’t pander or preach. There’s enough peril to keep older kids engaged, but nothing too intense to rule it out for a family movie night; that is, as long as your definition of “family movie” includes bootlegging, snakebites, and shirtless wisdom. Even a scene near the end involving an axe hitting someone is handled with restraint, shown in shadows rather than with graphic violence.
This film doesn’t soar with bombast. It glides, gently and steadily, like its namesake. It reminds viewers that even when life leads us through backwoods and detours, with the right people beside you, you’re always heading in the right direction.
So grab your metaphorical duffle bag (preferably not full of stolen cash), cue up this movie, and enjoy the ride.
