Walking Out (2017) – A Quiet, Powerful Survival Drama
Walking Out (2017), directed by Alex and Andrew J. Smith, is a poignant survival drama that strips storytelling down to its emotional core. Set against the majestic and unforgiving landscape of rural Montana, the film explores the strained bond between father and son — and the life-or-death trial that forces them to reconnect.
The story follows David (Josh Wiggins), a teenager from Texas who visits his estranged father Cal (Matt Bomer), an experienced outdoorsman living in the remote wilderness. David is more at home with technology and city life than with rifles or elk hunting, and their initial conversations are filled with silence, tension, and subtle resentment. But when a hunting trip turns into a deadly struggle for survival, both are pushed to their limits — physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
After a violent accident leaves Cal gravely injured, David must rise to the occasion, carrying his father through snow-covered terrain and facing wild animals, freezing temperatures, and his own fears. In this crucible, the boy becomes a man — not through bravado, but through quiet endurance, love, and painful growth.
Walking Out is not a typical action-packed survival film. It’s a slow-burn character study that relies on mood, silence, and stunning natural visuals to tell its story. The cinematography, captured in sweeping widescreen shots, paints Montana not just as a setting but as a living, breathing presence — beautiful, dangerous, and indifferent. Nature becomes both adversary and teacher.
The performances are quietly powerful. Matt Bomer gives a restrained, authentic turn as Cal, a father hardened by life and loss. Josh Wiggins carries much of the film’s weight on his shoulders, and his transformation from passive teen to determined survivor is believable and affecting.
Flashbacks to Cal’s own youth reveal the generational patterns of masculinity, trauma, and emotional repression that haunt the family. The film’s title, Walking Out, takes on layered meaning — leaving the woods, growing up, breaking free from old emotional legacies.
This is a film about more than just survival in the wilderness. It’s about reconnection, forgiveness, and the unspoken love between fathers and sons. Quiet yet emotionally raw, Walking Out leaves a lasting impact not with spectacle, but with soul.
