''The Dark Divide'' is a 2020 feature film based on the memoir ''Where Bigfoot Walks: Crossing the Dark Divide'' by

Robert Michael Pyle Robert Michael Pyle (born 19 July 1947) is an American lepidopterist, writer, teacher, and founder of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Much of his life story is told in the 2020 feature film '' The Dark Divide'', where Pyle ...

Plot

Pyle, a

lepidopterist Lepidopterology ()) is a branch of entomology concerning the scientific study of moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies. Someone who studies in this field is a lepidopterist or, archaically, an aurelian. Origins Post-Renaissance, t ...

, sets out on a 30-day trek through the

Gifford Pinchot National Forest Gifford Pinchot National Forest is a National Forest located in southern Washington, managed by the United States Forest Service. With an area of 1.32 million acres (5300 km2), it extends 116 km along the western slopes of Cascade Ran ...

to document butterflies and moths following the traumatic death of his wife from cancer. An inexperienced hiker, Pyle encounters challenges including frightening wildlife and getting lost in a cave. When he completes the hike, taking far more days than he had expected to, he leaves the wilderness with a sense of accomplishment.

Cast

David Cross David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, and writer known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series ''Mr. Show'' (1995–1998), and his role as Tobias Fünke in the Fox/Netflix sitcom ...

as Robert Michael Pyle *

Debra Messing Debra Lynn Messing (born August 15, 1968) is an American actress. After graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Messing received short-lived roles on television series such as '' Ned and Stacey'' on Fox (1995–1997) and ...

as Thea Linnea Pyle *

Cameron Esposito Cameron Anne Young Anastasia Esposito (born October 17, 1981) is an American actor, comedian, and podcaster known for her show '' Take My Wife'', as well as her stand-up comedy and her podcast, '' Queery''. Esposito substantially focuses on topic ...

as Monty *

Gary Farmer Gary Dale Farmer (born June 12, 1953) is a Canadian actor and musician. He is perhaps best known for his role as Nobody in the films ''Dead Man'' (1995) and '' Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai'' (1999), and for his role in '' Smoke Signals'' (1 ...

as Densmore * Kimberly Guerrero as Teresa *

Patterson Hood Patterson David Hood (born March 24, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter and co-founder of the band Drive-By Truckers. Early life Hood was born in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the son of Jan Patterson Adams and David Hood, the longtime bassist ...

as Joe *

David Koechner David Michael Koechner ( ; born August 24, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing roles such as Champ Kind in the ''Anchorman'' films and Todd Packer on NBC's ''The Office''. Koechner first became involved in perf ...

as Shayne * Peyton Dilweg as Maggie * Dyami Thomas as Billy * Olivia Ritchie as Amie * Brian Adrian Koch as Joey

Production

The movie was filmed almost entirely on location in the places the action was set. Director Tom Putnam credited his background as a documentary film director for making this feasible. He said, "Because of my documentary background, we were able to construct a film that used a small crew to reach locations larger films could never go to...If you see David

ross Ross or ROSS may refer to: People * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan * Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland Places * RoSS, the Republic of Sou ...

hanging off a cliff, braving a thunderstorm, or struggling in freezing water, that's really him. When you see lava tunnels deep underground, that's where we shot."

Release

The film was released virtually on September 18, 2020, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The film's website noted that some of the film's proceeds would be donated to "protect wildlife and wild places."

Reception

Writing for ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'', critic Frank Scheck called the film "awfully entertaining" and praised Cross's "touching and funnily self-effacing turn." ''

The Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogr ...

''s Richard Whittaker praised the film as "a beautiful, quiet, lyrical, funny wilderness trip, a meditation on loss and picking up the pieces, and the most perfectly poignant performance of David Cross' acting career."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dark Divide 2020 films American comedy-drama films Films set in Washington (state) 2020s English-language films 2020s American films