A Perfect Day for Caribou
An estranged father and son spend the day ambling around a cemetery, wandering the wilderness, searching for family, and stumbling through disharmony and heartache.
Interview with Writer/Director Jeff Rutherford
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thanks so much. I made it because I wanted to tell a story about a father and son and hang out with my friends. I got to do that, and I'm grateful for it.
I wanted to make a film about family, strained relationships, communication, human weakness and carelessness. I wanted to tell a story that felt both accurate and truthful but also strange and magical. When thinking about the characters and their situations, I wanted them to feel both familiar and uniquely special.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
There's something resonant and mythical about the film. It's a special movie due in large part to the incredible performances of Charlie Plummer and Jeb Berrier and the cinematography of my good friend Alfonso Herrera Salcedo.
Calling 'Caribou' either an "arthouse film" or a "family drama" would fail to accurately describe it. I think it's many things. It's a unique and unusual movie that's tender and connective and emotional.
I hope audiences feel that way and find something in it.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I don't usually think very much about themes when I'm writing a script or making a movie. I just try to keep it simple and think about action and emotion and some sort of narrative honesty. Writing about themes is intimidating for me. Those themes, in my view, will emerge whether I write them in or not. They'll grow out of the foundation of the film. So as this project evolved, the themes revealed themselves and it's what has been making the film relatable for people. The film is certainly talking about generational and childhood trauma, loss, alcoholism, love, and what it looks like for each person to simply try their best. The movie's themes are readily available, and I'm glad audiences have been grabbing onto them.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I wrote the script with Jeb and Charlie in mind. That helped a lot. I had their voices and way of moving in my mind as I wrote it. We made little tweaks along the way, and we were all focused on achieving a very specific rhythm in the film. That took time. We wanted to make a movie that felt natural and unhurried and gave the audience a lot of room to participate.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We had our world premiere at Locarno in August, which was great. Audiences there really seemed to connect with the film. Some people love Herman, others not so much. Some seem to empathize with Nate, others not at all. The ideas around generational trauma, pain, survival, love and loss are landing with people, but there have been a lot of divergent opinions about the people in the story. I like that. I wouldn't want there to be universal love for one character or a singular, obvious way to interpret a moment.
I'm really looking forward to sharing the film with audiences at Slamdance.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Just lots of dynamic conversations with people about little subtleties and nuances in the film.
The most exciting moments for me are when members of the audience disagree with each other – when people empathize with one character and not another or when they have a clear view of how something from Nate's past must have played out and another audience member sees it the opposite way. Disparate perceptions are great and they're the stuff of life. So it's nice when folks talk about the film and its people in an engaged, meaningful way that feels like they're trying to really understand someone or something in real life.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
For me, moviemaking is about relationships. I've always loved telling stories, and I'm lucky to have connected with so many people and made new friends by way of this film. I hope that all continues – the storytelling and the relationship-building.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We're currently seeking distribution. Through a handful of screenings thus far I know this film's people are out there, and we're looking for the right folks to help the film continue to find its people.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
A real concern was making sure the film had a heart and soul that felt relatable and accessible, so to put it simply: I hope people feel invited in by the film and walk away feeling heartened and moved by its truthiness – that something in their heart or mind shifts just a little bit, even if for a short spell.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
After all this, today are they better off?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I have a few scripts I'd like to make. I have a Non-Western Western I'd like to do, and I also want to make a film called The Dreamer Dreams They're Dreaming, which is based on some short stories by one of the great American writers.
Interview: January 2023
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
A Perfect Day for Caribou
An estranged father and son spend the day ambling around a cemetery, wandering the wilderness, searching for family, and stumbling through disharmony and heartache.
Length: 1:35:00
Director: Jeff Rutherford
Producer: Jeff Rutherford, Kyra Bailey and Joseph Longo
Writer: Jeff Rutherford
About the writer, director and producer:
JEFF RUTHERFORD was born and raised in Kansas where he grew up on Alfred Hitchcock movies. He studied writing at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. He’s an alum of New York University’s Graduate Film Program. He’s most often inspired by the solemn beauty and the rhythm of life in rural America.
Key cast: Charlie Plummer (Nate), Jeb Berrier (Herman)
Looking for: distributors and sales agents
Instagram: @jeffsrutherford
Website: aperfectdayforcaribou.com
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
Slamdance Film Festival/Park City, Utah & Online