Thumper ( #Tribeca2017 ) 2

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Director: Jordan Ross

Stars: Eliza Taylor, Lena Heady, Pablo Schreiber, Grant Harvey, Ben Feldman, Daniel Weber

Rated R

1HR 33MIN

So I got a chance to view the second showing of the worldwide premiere of Thumper at Tribeca 2017. Director, Jordan Ross, was on hand and introduced the film as well as had a Q&A post-screening. He noted after the film viewing that his work on documentaries was a principal source of material for the story. With the success of this film, I’d like to see more doc director’s write stories pick up the pen and tell tales based on their work with real-life individuals. It is clear that the best stories are those closest to your experience. In Thumper, Ross captured a lot the humanistic elements that exist in the real life producer and seller drug game.

The movie opens with Wyatt (Pablo Schreiber) attending two small children until a bedraggled wife takes them off on the day’s journey. Once they leave, Troy (Grant Harvey) shows up with accomplice Beaver(Daniel Weber) and the trio retires to the shed out back. Here we find a meth cooking lab, ala Breaking Bad whose setup is far from Walter White’s capabilities, and maybe even below Jesse’s. We learn that Wolf and several of his friends push Wyatt’s drugs at school. The group’s dealings become much more complicated when the new girl in the school Kat (Eliza Taylor) allows Beaver to copy off a quiz paper and they become friends. What ensues is an engaging tale where lives are upended and consequences are dire.

The movie boasts excellent storytelling. Wolf, Kat, and Beaver shine in almost every scene. Thumper is a gritty tale, that approaches familiar themes with a fresh look. This is a movie I highly recommend you to go see.

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