The Integrity of Joseph Chambers
The hunt for adventure becomes a poem on ethics when two paths diverge in the woods.
The moustachioed man: Clayne Crawford
Former city slicker Joseph Chambers (Clayne Crawford) is eager to find purpose and conquer new skills, having recently relocated to rural Pell City, Alabama. He’s an accomplished insurance salesman and family man, but has little prowess for wilderness survival and outdoorsmanship. Emasculated by his wife and anxious to prove his worth, he sets out to bag a buck on his first solo deer hunt. What transpires is much more than a walk in the woods. Writer/director Robert Machoian reteams with his The Killing of Two Lovers star (actor/producer Clayne Crawford) to explore another thought-provoking portrait of untested masculinity.
Largely another one-man show, Crawford’s grounded, multifaceted performance roots the film. From cocksure, to deer-in-the-headlights, Crawford embodies how many men feel, not having been taught to work with their hands or shown how to provide for their family beyond a desk. There’s a void that men like Chambers are desperate to fill, turning to hobbies that speak to their desires to feel competent and powerful. There’s also a responsibility inherent in handling any kind of weapon system, yet there’s no driver’s ed or driver’s test equivalent for operating a gun, and Chambers’ acute lack of knowledge and safety with firearms is certainly enough to make any legitimate hunter wince.
A walking Eddie Bauer ad, Joseph traipses through the woods outfitted with brand new gear, a borrowed rifle and plenty of snacks. His naivety is particularly revealing, including one sequence where he treats his weapon like a pea shooter, waving it wildly and making ‘pew pew’ sounds. It’s a callowness that helps the film strike a comedic tone in an otherwise ominous narrative. Oscar Ignacio Jiménez’s cinematography thrives in the restricted 4:3 aspect ratio that Machoian and Jimenez previously employed in The Killing of Two Lovers. The visuals are coupled with an effective sound design from Peter Albrechtsen, which utilises the woods’ most unsettling screeches, creaks and cracks to drive the drama. Though the plot itself is thin, the conversation around masculinity and how this particular man responds to conflict proves a fascinating etude. What happens to a man who’s never been tested? How will he navigate an extreme situation? The answers to those questions rely on, well, the integrity of Joseph Chambers.
CHAD KENNERK
Cast: Clayne Crawford, Jordana Brewster, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Michael Raymond-James, Carl Kennedy, Charline St. Charles, Colt Crawford, Hix Crawford.
Dir Robert Machoian, Pro Clayne Crawford, Robert Machoian and Kiki Crawford, Screenplay Robert Machoian, Ph Oscar Ignacio Jiménez, Ed Yvette M. Amirian, Music William Ryan Fritch, Sound Peter Albrechtsen.
Back40 Pictures/433/Victorhouse Films-Lightbulb Film Distribution.
95 mins. USA. 2022. US Rel: 17 February 2023. UK Rel (on Blu-Ray): 17 April 2023. Cert. 15.
