This movie is really about the aftermath of the sixties. The sixties were a great time of bonding, love, drugs, experimentation, communal living, group houses, nudity and doing your own thing. What happened next? Most of the youth of the sixties grew up, got jobs, started families, and, essentially, "joined the establishment".
That's Mark. But his friend Kurt is the sixties denizen who never grew out of it, and wants it to be like it was in the old days. Mark, not wanting to hurt his friend, and perhaps to verify for himself that he cannot go back (to the old days), agrees to go on the trip to the hot springs. But he doesn't really like being lost in the woods, the camp site has become a dump, he resents his free-loading friend, realizes that nothing his friend says makes sense any more, and the road signs have faded to the point of being blank. The most telling point in the movie is the remark Mark makes to his wife, "But look at what we're dealing with here" (talking about Kurt).
It's obvious that the film maker is making a huge statement that the sixties are over. The signs are lost, and the bath house is in shambles. The land is still beautiful, but the desire is gone. But what I don't understand is how negative she is about the choices. Kurt appears to end up lost and homeless. Mark goes back to what appears to be less-than-ideal marriage and a stressed-out life. Is that all there is? Depressing as the movie turns out to be, I still think it's an interesting film. It's a little more like real life than we usually want to see in the movies, but the sparsity of the dialog, and the inability to read the characters' minds require each watcher to interpret what they see in their own way. The fact that you're really not sure what the filmmaker wanted to say can be considered a plus when you discuss this movie the next day.
That's Mark. But his friend Kurt is the sixties denizen who never grew out of it, and wants it to be like it was in the old days. Mark, not wanting to hurt his friend, and perhaps to verify for himself that he cannot go back (to the old days), agrees to go on the trip to the hot springs. But he doesn't really like being lost in the woods, the camp site has become a dump, he resents his free-loading friend, realizes that nothing his friend says makes sense any more, and the road signs have faded to the point of being blank. The most telling point in the movie is the remark Mark makes to his wife, "But look at what we're dealing with here" (talking about Kurt).
It's obvious that the film maker is making a huge statement that the sixties are over. The signs are lost, and the bath house is in shambles. The land is still beautiful, but the desire is gone. But what I don't understand is how negative she is about the choices. Kurt appears to end up lost and homeless. Mark goes back to what appears to be less-than-ideal marriage and a stressed-out life. Is that all there is? Depressing as the movie turns out to be, I still think it's an interesting film. It's a little more like real life than we usually want to see in the movies, but the sparsity of the dialog, and the inability to read the characters' minds require each watcher to interpret what they see in their own way. The fact that you're really not sure what the filmmaker wanted to say can be considered a plus when you discuss this movie the next day.