Prince Avalanche is a film about two men on a journey. They are repainting the traffic lines on the roads of a Texas landscape in the aftermath of a wildfire. Alvin, played by Paul Rudd, is a man who enjoys the solitude and aloneness of the wilderness and chooses to send the money he makes working on the roads to his serious girlfriend, who lives alone in an unspecified city with her son. Lance, played by Emile Hirsch, is Alvin's girlfriend's younger brother. He is a bit dopey, and provides the comedic relief in the majority of the movie. Rather than enjoying the solitude of the wilderness like Alvin, Lance feels lonely and goes into town every chance he gets. They dislike each other in the beginning, but soon begin to learn more about themselves as they spend more time in the incredible landscape.
The soundtrack to the movie, by Explosions in the Sky, is unbelievably beautiful. Here it is in its entirety. I suggest listening to it while doing something you enjoy.
The music, along with the cinematography, was what made the movie really special, in my opinion. The color palette was very specific and very contained, and I really liked that. There were bright yellows and oranges of the traffic lines and their equipment, greens and browns of the forest, blues of their coverall-uniforms, and greys and blacks of the asphalt road.
I really really enjoyed this movie, and I would suggest it to anyone looking for something enjoyable and evocative to watch. Go watch it!
