A great debut film about small town Oklahoma, poverty, heartache and boredom - and the hope and joy that can emerge from these more negative elements. The film drifts along on a skeletal plot about Leon (Ian Walker), an angry eighteen-year-old boy running afoul of his mom's unhinged boyfriend/machine part factory co-worker Dalton (James Allen Pershing), a conflict that unsurprisingly culminates in violence. But Tenkiller is more interested in the slices of life happening in-between its narrative, emphasizing simple small town happiness and hardship in equal measure. Beautifully shot with magnificent performances and a soundtrack from breakout band Chat Pile.
9 Reviews
I enjoyed it for what it is.
divination0924 November 2023
Overall I did enjoy this movie. That being said, of course it's flawed. Whether you get something out of this film or not really depends on what you're expecting and what you want. No doubt this had some really beautiful shots. I don't know if the two main stars of this film are actually brothers or not but they definitely worked off each other well and were believable and fairly talented for a low budget movie. It seems whoever shot the movie really knew what they were doing and was able to capture an artsy coming of age feel despite the hurdles.
That being said, the hurdles were significant. Some of the adult actors weren't ideal, the music wasn't for me and it wasn't a very new or unique story. The biggest let down of this movie was the climax. I won't spoil anything but what should have been a big moment was too ambitious for the budget and talent available and it really fell flat for me.
I don't rate the overall quality or mass appeal, just my own enjoyment which gets a generous seven.
That being said, the hurdles were significant. Some of the adult actors weren't ideal, the music wasn't for me and it wasn't a very new or unique story. The biggest let down of this movie was the climax. I won't spoil anything but what should have been a big moment was too ambitious for the budget and talent available and it really fell flat for me.
I don't rate the overall quality or mass appeal, just my own enjoyment which gets a generous seven.
Decent bit of cinema
SeanTheBooth26 November 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Full transparency, I'm a fan of Chat Pile who I'm pretty sure was the only music heard throughout the film. I enjoyed this movie, its obvious it was made with love. A few weak points were in a couple characters presence & delivery as well as the climax. It was fun, but I expected a bit more than a shootout. In the end it had some Lynchian pacing, the music was placed like it was an episode of Daria & Raygun shined like a diamond. I was pleasantly surprised and dont regret a second of this viewing.
I'd love to see more from the Choate team.
I'm imagining a dark & moody exploration into Chat Pile lyrics ;)
I'd love to see more from the Choate team.
I'm imagining a dark & moody exploration into Chat Pile lyrics ;)
Where's the dialogue?
wcaroljay186018 January 2023
Someone mentioned that the plot was skeletal which sums it up nicely. Character development is close to nonexistent creating huge holes in continuity and prompting the viewer to wonder, "Why should we care?" They are miserable people living in poverty with violence used as the first way to solve a problem. This has been done so many times before and done so much better, why this?
Loved the setting though. That area of the state is beautiful. It would have been nice to see some of the historic buildings or incorporate that street signs are in Cherokee and English. It really is a unique location.
Loved the setting though. That area of the state is beautiful. It would have been nice to see some of the historic buildings or incorporate that street signs are in Cherokee and English. It really is a unique location.
well i can say they tried
notuworryabout22 November 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Sadly wasted $5 to watch. Very slow and blah. They could have trimmed it to 15 minutes and saved me time. Music was awful. Acting was very high schoolish at best. Language alert. Scenery was the best part and it was scarce. If it moved any slower it would have been in reverse. Tallequah is a beautiful area and this made it look like the entire area is hicks living in the sticks that fight do drugs and get drunk all the time. That is absolutely not reality. They have some really sweet vintage vehicles that were fun to look at but the entire storyline was boring and slow. Poor script. Poor actors.
very good made me cry lol
katiehohn12 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Overall a great movie, although it was slow the music and scenery made up for it. Mostly it might be nostalgia about tenkiller cause i grew up east vian right close to the lake, now i'm the "dont end up like them" cousin from california. Several scenes of the brothers bonding reminds me of me and my cousin, i was always the youngest and she made me feel so safe, cried a lot of those scenes lol. Seeing my childhood lake to now smoke spot in the summers really hits different from others perspective. Personal experience aside, this film was great. Ofc the acting isn't oscar winning but for small films there's real emotion, real situations, and a real story in general. Definitely worth a watch.
REMARKABLE
moviecritic40519 November 2022
Warning: Spoilers
A broken family struggles in the midst of chaos. Tenkiller is a remarkable film!! It is a drama with a brilliant storyline. The love shown between the brothers seems so real, specifically in the water scene of the two brothers playing with a hose outside of their house. Every scene is shot beautifully, reminding me of the indie film Mud. The music by Chat Pile was absolutely incredible!! June's song about her brother who died from a hit and run accident touched my heart. I love how I was not spoon fed the plot keeping me on the edge of my seat wondering what will happen next. 100% worth the watch!!
A great Oklahoma film!
ptdyws19 November 2022
The videography is beautiful and it was such fun to see familiar Oklahoma locations!!! We really loved watching all the "non-professional" actors, especially the kids. The bad guys were fun to hate, and now we've been introduced to the music of Chat Pile and their lead singer/actor, what a trip!!! We loved the movie's small town feel, the kids working at all their various small town jobs, and the glimpse of Oklahoma lake party life. Finally, we appreciate that the story had a near happy ending, at least with the possibility of redemption for the family members!! Ready for more films from Blood Relative!!!
Really Liked It!
ed-saykay19 November 2022
A movie that looks at the rough, votive lives of people in America and their attempts to find joy and meaning. Tenkiller lake becomes a character itself, a backdrop to moments of touching intimacy and startling violence.
The soundtrack is getting a huge amount of hype right now due to the involvement of sudden heavy metal darlings Chat Pile, who offer a depraved tracklist of industrial clanking and screams, as well as a scene stealing performance from lead singer Raygun Busch. I imagine a lot of people will find the movie off the back of the band and I hope they like what they see.
A confident debut from the Choates and hopefully the first of many.
The soundtrack is getting a huge amount of hype right now due to the involvement of sudden heavy metal darlings Chat Pile, who offer a depraved tracklist of industrial clanking and screams, as well as a scene stealing performance from lead singer Raygun Busch. I imagine a lot of people will find the movie off the back of the band and I hope they like what they see.
A confident debut from the Choates and hopefully the first of many.
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