Review by James Lindorf
Coyote Lake is the feature film debut for Director Sara Seligman who also co-wrote the screenplay with Thomas James Bond. Seventeen-year-old Ester runs a small bed and breakfast on the US/Mexico border along with her overbearing mother Teresa and simple handyman Dirk. Everyone is put in danger with the arrival of two drug smugglers in need of a place to lay low until they can make their deal. The two intruders are in for a bit of a surprise because the two women are hiding a secret, one that may prove the most dangerous of all. Cranked Up Films will be bringing Coyote Lake and its stars Camila Mendes, Adriana Barraza and Andres Velez to theaters on August 2nd.
Coyote Lake has a relatively simple premise. Ester and Teresa use their bed and breakfast to murder cartel members, drug smugglers, and the coyotes who prey on people seeking a better life in America. Paco and Ignacio are drug runners reeling from a violent encounter and awaiting their next exchange. Two sets of killers in a seclude home fighting for dominance with more violence seemingly inevitable.
Simple plots are the best for a low budget project. They can be filmed quickly with limited locations and just a few cast members. Coyote Lake’s story takes place almost entirely in one area, and the cast is comprised of 10 people. With less flashy elements to distract the viewer’s attention, it puts extra emphasis on the quality of the parts that are present. The look, the performances, and the script must all be top-notch for the film to be successful.
Cinematographer Matthias Schubert may not have broken the mold, but he gave Coyote Lake a very professional look. Some of the exterior shots are very beautiful, but the real strength of the film is its performances. It helps that every character has a motivation that can be understood, making it easier for the actors to embody. Camila Mendes is the standout as Ester who is at times ruthless and cunning, and others she can be gentle or naïve.
The letdown of the film is the script. While it is good on the surface once you look deeper at the characters actions, their decisions become nonsensical. Letting people, you have taken hostage make your meals and go into town is the easiest way to end up dead or arrested. Having blind faith and ignoring your conscience and your understanding of how money works causes characters to become frustrating and harder to relate to.
Because of the performances, Coyote Lake is easy to like and generally entertaining, but if you begin to ask questions, you discover the story doesn’t hold water. I look forward to what Seligman does next. Seeing if she will continue to adapt her own work or if she will take on someone else’s script and pour all of her attention into directing.
