''Sequoia'' is a 2014 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by Andy Landen, written by Andrew Rothschild, and starring

Aly Michalka Alyson Renae Michalka ( ; born March 25, 1989) is an American actress, singer-songwriter and musician who rose to prominence with her starring role as Keely Teslow in the Disney Channel sitcom '' Phil of the Future'' (2004–2006). Aly Michalka ...

Dustin Milligan Dustin Wallace Milligan (born July 28, 1985) is a Canadian actor, known for his role as Ethan Ward on the teen drama television series '' 90210'' from 2008 until 2009, Tom Cummings in the Canadian spy thriller television series ''X Company'' from ...

Joey Lauren Adams Joey Lauren Adams (born January 9, 1968) is an American actress and director. Adams starred in ''Chasing Amy'', for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and played smaller role ...

Lou Diamond Phillips Louis Diamond Phillips ( born Upchurch; February 17, 1962) is a Filipino-American actor and film director. His breakthrough came when he starred as Ritchie Valens in the biographical drama film '' La Bamba'' (1987). For ''Stand and Deliver'' (19 ...

, Corbin Frost and Sophi Bairley. It was released on August 25, 2015, by The Orchard.

Plot

Riley (

) films her visit with her doctor (

Sean Hood Sean Hood (born August 13, 1966) is an American screenwriter and film director. Early life Hood graduated from Brown University, with a double major in pure mathematics and studio art, and then spent several years working in Hollywood as a set ...

) so her absent mother will know Riley has stage 3 oral cancer with a 10% chance of survival. Riley meets Ogden (

) on a bus and they both get off near

Sequoia National Park Sequoia National Park is an American national park in the southern Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, California. The park was established on September 25, 1890, and today protects of forested mountainous terrain. Encompassing a vertical relief ...

. Since her connecting bus won’t arrive for a few hours, he offers to drop her off. Before she exits his car, she kisses him. Ogden wants to see her in the morning but Riley declines since she plans to meet her sister the next day. She goes to her hotel room alone, where she takes a lethal dose of drugs which she also films. Earlier the same day, Riley’s sister, Van (Sophi Bairley), attempts to sneak out to meet Riley, but she totals the car. Van reluctantly tells their father, Oscar (

Todd Lowe Todd Lowe (born May 10, 1977) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Terry Bellefleur, a PTSD-suffering Iraq War veteran who works as a short order cook at Merlotte's Bar & Grill on HBO's ''True Blood'' and as Zack Van Gerbig o ...

), that Riley is in Sequoia with lethal drugs. Furious, Oscar phones his ex-wife and Riley’s mother, Bev (

), who shows no sympathy towards Riley’s latest “staged drama”. Bev’s new partner, Steve (

Demetri Martin Demetri Evan Martin ( el, Δημήτριος Ευάγγελος Μάρτιν, ''Dimitrios Evangelos Martin''; born May 25, 1973) is an American comedian, actor, writer, director, cartoonist and musician. He was a contributor on ''The Daily Show'' ...

), is equally unsympathetic. Steve and Bev, motivated to finalize Oscar and Bev’s divorce papers, agree to drive Oscar and Van to Riley’s location – just after Steve drives them all to his interview first. Back at the hotel, Riley listens to Van’s voicemail and is upset to learn that Van won't be joining her on her last day. In the morning, Ogden finds Riley at the hotel’s pool where she shows him the effects of her oral cancer. He stays with her and also obliges to take her to the peak, the ironically named Hanging Rock. It isn’t until Riley and Ogden reach a blocked road that she reveals to him that she’s taken lethal drugs and is running out of time. This frustrates them both. She steals his car and drives away leaving him behind, but Ogden, having memorized her phone number from earlier, calls and promises that he’ll stay with her until the end wherever she wants to go. Reunited, Riley teaches Ogden how to film her last moments but in doing so, they also film each other exploring and enjoying the park. During a brief rainstorm, they retreat to the car and Ogden plays the mandolin and sings an original song to her. Afterwards, Ogden films Riley from afar as she approaches the Sherman Tree ( General Sherman (tree)), a tree believed to have healing powers. There, she meets Colin (

), a man with AIDS who prays to the tree, by telling it his disease, why he wants to live, for how many years, and what he promises to do if he gets his wish. Riley doesn't ask for a specific number of years but she does ask to live to help Ogden’s songwriting. Riley then collapses, but Ogden manages to drive her to the peak for her final moments. When Riley’s family arrives, they see Riley peacefully lying on Ogden’s lap. Riley’s parents watch her videos in a hospital waiting room. Riley wakes up and Van asks her to stick around until Van is at least 18. The film ends with all of Riley’s family bickering, but reunited. While her family bickers, Riley receives a call from Ogden who sings her new lyrics to his song from earlier.

Cast

as Riley *

as Ogden *

as Bev *

as Colin *Corbin Frost as Historian *Sophi Bairley as Van *

as Dr. Morton *

as Oscar MacGrady *

as Steve

Release

The film premiered at South by Southwest on March 9, 2014. The film was released on August 25, 2015, by The Orchard.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 2516304, Sequoia 2014 films 2014 comedy films American comedy films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films