Fate - Beyond Reason
Endicott Films
Length - 14:14

When underwater cameras became affordable, anyone who fished had to have one. That was the point at which having an underwater camera ceased to be a big deal. The shots had to be really, really good to impress anyone because everyone was taking them. The proliferation of drones, and even high resolution cameras, has created a similar situation. They are ubiquitous. But that doesn’t mean all the shots are good. In the same way people with underwater cameras took uninspiring photographs, people with drones get the same, predictable footage and people with expensive cameras get cheap generic shots.

Not the case with this film.  The opening credits with the drone descending into the world of the deer is interesting and cool. It’s not just a pan above the trees. It has a “ok, let’s get into it” feel to it which is purposeful.

“I tagged out sooner than I would have liked to [last year]” provides just enough exposition to get the viewer into the story. We know why he’s going to try and hold out. He doesn’t make a huge deal about it, doesn’t waste time. Efficient set up, let’s go. This is often an underestimated element of storytelling. The context of a professional hunter doesn’t matter much because it’s their job. To connect with the common hunter, these sort of details are important and it’s important they are done quickly as to not mire the film in flashbacks or B-roll.

The blacktail buck footage is as good as I have seen. The shots are stable, clear and probably beyond what most hunters could handle as far as letting bucks walk. It makes the opening statement about the goal for the year that much more critical because there is no “Why is he passing?” We know why he is passing. It makes sense in the context of the story and only builds drama because we all have goals and we all worry when we let a borderline buck walk.

Of course big bucks show up and the drama of the draw and hold is hilarious. The word epic is absolutely meaningless at this point since it’s been used for so many ordinary things, but when his buck is moving downhill while a doe is coming up creates unreal tension. You know exactly what’s going to happen and I’ve never seen it before. I’ve seen cows or smaller bulls obscure the desired shot, but never a doe pass right in front of a buck like two cars going the opposite direction in traffic. It was a dead deer had it been a rifle hunt. The buck slows and clears…but then there are branches. A lesser hunter would have sent it, but Nate didn’t. Thank God.

So we’re eight minutes in and it’s been a buffet of great camera work, but no shots. The film takes on the feel of an actual film industry film when everything is going right and there’s a chance the protagonist will win. But another complication arrives because it has to in order to make the movie last an hour and 45 minutes. Non-fiction doesn’t work like this. That may have been it for Nate. The last six minutes can be a slow, drawn-out resolution with cheesy lines about how it’s just nice to be out there, or a pinch of regret for not taking a shot at a decent buck early on.

But it’s not.

At 14:14 minutes, this is an excellent length. It is what it is and doesn’t try to be something it’s not. He has the footage to make it 30 or 40 minutes, but adding clips doesn’t always add value. Some stories are great at 45 minutes. Some are too long at 25. It all depends on the story.
I won’t tell you how it ends, because it takes only fifteen minutes of your life to watch it for yourself.

I will say it’s worth it.