The Dark Divide (2020) Poster

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6/10
forrested gump
michaelgpetryshen-5245811 November 2020
I never truly appreciated the beauty of our wildlands until i saw david cross in them.
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6/10
Big On The Charm
UltraMaximal27 January 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I found this to be a charming movie. It's not a Bigfoot horror or Bigfoot hunting movie. It's a story of a man and healing.

Basically a man mouring his wife goes out on a hike of self discovery and bufferfly catching. Along the way he falls into situations that make him rethink his past and heal his heart.

It is not a fast paced movie or exciting movie, but decently paced. The lead is goofy and funny and he does his part well, whether he is standing around in his tighty whites or struggling to climb a steep hill. He just makes it all so believable and entirely possible.

The rest of the cast is just peachy, the little we get to see them, but they add just enough information to make this a feel good watch.

WORTH IT.
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9/10
Great film!! Forget the low average score
eddypeters-433855 December 2020
I had no expectations, but I was hooked immediately. Great movie, based on a true story about nature, life, love and butterflies.
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4/10
An old guy version of 'Into the Wild'
gdalesmith14 November 2020
Environmentalists will love it. The panoramas are terrific, and its (Spotted?) owl scene is unforgettable. A supporting cast, such as the convenience store clerk and logging crew's boss, did a fine job adding substance to what was essentially a one man show.

That one man is this movie's problem. The actor portrayed Bob Pyle as a combination absent-minded professor and Deputy Barney Fife, taking every opportunity to strip down to his skivvy shorts or worse. Add to that an almost perpetual half-snarl, half-befuddled expression, and the result is a lead character who is hard to care about. During the last half hour I was rooting for Bigfoot.

Another problem was the director's choices for employing flashbacks. Several scenes involved quiet hours in the morning, evening, or night, and would have been perfect for flashbacks to when Pyle was with his wife. But Putnam's timing for using them ruined the story's momentum, which was already a challenge to establish given the premise of a butterfly collector wandering along forest trails.

Two stars for the supporting cast, one for wallpaper-class scenery shots, and one for that surprise in the end.
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9/10
Don't forget
patrickflorio12 November 2020
We do forget we are hosted by a wonderful planet that has no shame in showing it's raw power. We think we can do what ever we want without consequence but nature has it's vengeance. We can behold and be amazed by it's beauty if we just slow down and appreciate every little detail. I thank David Cross for this production that is wonderful to feel without strange and mind bending messages it is true like it should be and easy to relate to. Let us respect our EARTH, she is our wonderful mother.
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8/10
A movie that allowed me to breathe
wickedmikehampton19 March 2021
An underrated brilliance of understatement . No outrageous laughs or tear gushing grief. Instead it was life, as hard as it gets, and how we have to keep on walking. It's hard to know who was greatest here, actor David Cross or director Tom Putnam. if 2020 has a humanities trilogy, it's 'Nomadland', 'Land' and 'The Dark Divide'.
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1/10
DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME!
BetterDeadThanRed20 February 2024
This movie was an hour and forty-one minutes that would have been better spent watching paint dry or grass grow.

It is NOT about Sasquatch/Bigfoot, as the movie art suggests (and the Amazon Prime grouping of it also suggests), rather it is about a complete lefty numbskull who somehow, miraculously made it to his older years without falling off of a cliff or walking into traffic.

The story goes off into tangents where he is walking around in his underwear at various times and considering how this guy is somehow able to teach at the college level should concern everyone. Then again it would explain for the pitiful way that college kids are these days not knowing things that used to be considered common sense.

This guy and 'Brandon' would be able to have a wonderful conversation together and I don't mean that in the comedic sense either but they're both a toy short of a Happy Meal.

I feel as if my level of IQ dropped by 120 points and that would still leave me ten times higher than the two of them combined!
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8/10
Great comedy for avid hikers
holybagpipes-6-15356025 November 2020
This is great. I kept laughing at his novice blunders because they reminded me of my childhood mistakes learning about hiking. I kept saying, "Dude, what are you doing?" And "God, don't do that." He brought back so many memories. And then, the movie conveys his growth in character from his experience and yet still leaves a novice. Unless you're a hiker, you'll miss most of the humor or appreciate the journey the movie conveys.
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9/10
A great movie
friesjeler11 November 2020
Makes you want to just go into the wild :-). A heartfelt and real story.
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10/10
A Perfect Film for the Pandemic
jeff-922-86698928 October 2020
The Dark Divide is a gem of a film with a perfect balance of heartfelt drama and cringe comedy that leaves you feeling very understood in a year of chaos. And in a time where we are all feeling cooped up at home, the film takes us on a cinematic journey through the healing powers of mother nature, reminding us that grief and hope are often intertwined. Both David Cross and Debra Messing portray characters that are wholly unique from past roles, and the noteworthy supporting cast leave bold impressions. Based on the true stories of author and butterfly expert, Dr. Robert Michael Pyle, the movie seeks to find common ground in a thicket of biodiversity (quite relatable right now). Left vulnerable in the wild, human connection boils down to the mysteries of life and the inevitability of death. Oh and it has a pretty rad soundtrack. Yay Avett Brothers and newcomer Samantha Crain.
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10/10
Its a gem.
Sumovers15 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I had no real expectations of this film. But, It delivered a wonderful poignant story of love and loss. Loss of someone you love and loss of our beautiful planet.

A story told in a charming and beautifully filmed way. It's funny, forbidding, and true to life, a story for our times in an unpreachy way.

The main character is a bit of a nerdy bumpkin, out of his depth in a wilderness, making his way, whilst recollecting his time with his beloved wife and recording the butterflies that may be lost to logging.

Having travelled many of these wilderness forests in the 1989s, it brought back delightful memories, and heartbreak at what we are about to lose unless we have a care.
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10/10
David Cross is great!
GoodGW3 September 2021
I never would have guessed that David Cross would make me cry, but this was an awesome performance! A great story and well told.
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Why I'm so impatient to watch this guy's trekking?
MovieIQTest13 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This guy seems to be on a pathetic way of life. Wife got cancer and he got some kinda writer's block or something. He looked so pathetic and naive when went alone into the national forest with shorts, exposed his legs all the time. He didn't show any experience in camping or whatever. This guy's just pathetic to watch, a lamer. I couldn't allow myself to enjoy this guy's trip, even the wildness of the forest was pretty nice.

All the dialog didn't work, just blah, blah and blah.

Based on a true story....well, I couldn't care less.
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