| Gerry | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Gus Van Sant |
| Produced by | Dany Wolf |
| Written by | Casey Affleck Matt Damon Gus Van Sant |
| Starring | Matt
Damon Casey Affleck |
| Music by | Arvo Pärt |
| Distributed by | THINKFilm |
| Release date(s) | 14 February 2003 |
| Running time | 103 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3,500,000 (estimated) |
Gerry is a 2002 film directed by Gus Van Sant, starring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck who also co-wrote the film with Van Sant. It was shot in a semi-improvised style with a small crew in Argentina, Death Valley, and the Utah Salt Flats, and is dedicated to the memory of Ken Kesey. It is the first film of Van Sant's "Death Trilogy", three films based on true-life deaths, and is succeeded by Elephant and Last Days.
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Gerry is about two hiking companions who both go by the name "Gerry." "Gerry" is also a slang term used throughout the misadventure by both protagonists, meaning "to screw up."[1] Additionally, Van Sant revealed in interviews that Damon and the Affleck brothers already had used the term before the movie had even been named.[1]
The characters drive into the desert for a hike, to view a "thing" at the end of a wilderness trail. At the beginning of the hike, other hikers can often be seen nearby. After some walking, talking, and an impromptu foot race, they agree on their mutual disinterest in the site and decide to head back. It is only then they realize that they are lost in the desert.
The more the two try to work together to orient themselves and retrace their steps, the more dire their fate becomes; while at the same time, they grow increasingly irritated with each other. In their last day of wandering, mostly in silence, both protagonists collapse due to fatigue and dehydration. The weaker of the two (Affleck) proclaims that he is "leaving," and makes furtive motions toward strangling Damon's character, whereupon, Damon struggles on top of Affleck, dispassionately strangling him instead, before collapsing again.
After some time, Damon is awakened by the sound of an tractor trailer engine and heads with renewed energy in its direction. A highway appears through the fog, and Damon hitches a ride with a family, whom he watches in stunned silence.
The plot of the film shares some commonalities with the events surrounding the death of David Coughlin, who was killed by his friend Raffi Kodikian after the two became lost in Rattlesnake Canyon in New Mexico.
The story includes an anecdote about the game show Wheel of Fortune, where a contestant is unable to guess that "BARRE_ING" is "barreling". It has been noted that to Canadian or British contestants, the solution would not be obvious due to spelling differences.
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