Finding North
Encyclopedia
Finding North in a 1998
gay
-themed independent
comedy-drama
. Written by Kim Powers and directed by Tanya Wexler, the film stars Wendy Makkena
and John Benjamin Hickey
.
and grown suicidal. Travis receives an audio tape recorded by his lover, Bobby, before his death which sends him on a scavenger hunt
of sorts to Bobby's home town in Texas
. Through a series of mishaps, Rhonda ends up accompanying him on his journey. Together they follow Bobby's instructions as best they can, collecting items that represent Bobby's past, despite the many changes to the town in the years since Bobby left. Ultimately they end up at the gravesite Bobby's parents had prepared for him decades earlier. They bury the collected items at Bobby's instruction and together start to try "finding North" (an expression of Bobby's; "when things hit rock bottom, sure as hell can't get any further South, might as well start finding North.").
1998 in film
-Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:...
gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
-themed independent
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
. Written by Kim Powers and directed by Tanya Wexler, the film stars Wendy Makkena
Wendy Makkena
-Career:Born in New York City, Makkena started her acting career in 1986 and appeared in the TV show Santa Barbara. She later landed her first movie role in Eight Men Out...
and John Benjamin Hickey
John Benjamin Hickey
John Benjamin Hickey is an American actor with a career in stage, film and television. He won the 2011 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for his performance as Felix Turner in The Normal Heart....
.
Plot
Finding North tells the story of Rhonda (Makkena), a bank teller who's depressed upon turning 30, and Travis (Hickey), a gay man who's recently lost his lover to AIDSAIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
and grown suicidal. Travis receives an audio tape recorded by his lover, Bobby, before his death which sends him on a scavenger hunt
Scavenger hunt
A scavenger hunt is a game in which the organizers prepare a list defining specific items, using which the participants — individuals or teams — seek to gather all items on the list — usually without purchasing them — or perform tasks or take photographs of the items, as specified...
of sorts to Bobby's home town in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Through a series of mishaps, Rhonda ends up accompanying him on his journey. Together they follow Bobby's instructions as best they can, collecting items that represent Bobby's past, despite the many changes to the town in the years since Bobby left. Ultimately they end up at the gravesite Bobby's parents had prepared for him decades earlier. They bury the collected items at Bobby's instruction and together start to try "finding North" (an expression of Bobby's; "when things hit rock bottom, sure as hell can't get any further South, might as well start finding North.").