Harry and Max

Rank

Bottom 40% of all time (see others with this rank)

Festival Year

2004 (click here to see all competition films from this year)

Category

Dramatic Competition

Cast

Bryce Johnson, Cole Williams, Rain Phoenix, Tom Gilroy, Michelle Phillips, Justin Zachary

Non-Cast Credits

Roni Deitz, Christopher Munch, Rob Sweeney, Doran Meyers, Kristen Anacker, Frederick W. Helm, Joseph Middleton

Description

Chris Munch returns to Sundance with his signature subtle artistry and keen eye for cinematic layers and textures. Harry and Max is a challenging film about sex, love, and family, and the blurred lines that distinguish them.

Harry, 23, in a former boy band idol who is watching his younger brother Max, 16, follow in his footsteps. Harry has detoured on his way to a Japanese concert tour to escort Max on a long-promised camping adventure. Their trip begins on a note of easy camaraderie but quickly turns serious as old wounds resurface -- Harry's drinking problems, his disconnection from the family, and, most of all, his relationship with Max and the emotional dependency that keeps them from moving gracefully into adulthood.

With Harry and Max, Munchs ingenuity as a storyteller hits new highs. He gives his weighty examination a pop-culture sugar coating that soon wears off, letting you gradually get a taste of the deeper issues that plague these two brothers. The outstanding cast masters Munchs fine natural writing. They are as sexy as they are talented. It is through them we ease, heart racing, into a moral gray zone where most are afraid to tread.

Reviewer

John Cooper (see other films reviewed by the same reviewer)

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