Kathleen Quinlan Stars in New Film THE RIVER WHY

The new film WILD is marketed 'from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail.' A hidden gem, THE RIVER WHY film could easily be characterized as 'from lost to found on a wild Oregon river.'

Based on a novel that has become a fly fishing (and literary) classic set on the breathtaking rivers of Oregon, THE RIVER WHY is the story of 20-year old Gus Orviston.

Synopsis:

Sick of living in a home shrouded with secrets and a smothering sense of competition, Gus (Zach Gilford, Friday Night Lights) runs away from home and the shadow of his famous fly-fishing father (William Hurt). Determined to live life on his own terms, Gus makes his new home in a secluded cabin on the banks of a river where he plans to fish all day. Instead, he is propelled into a quest for self-discovery. An assortment of eccentric characters, including a free-spirited girl (Amber Heard, The Rum Diary) who shares his fondness for fishing, help him find his way toward adulthood. www.imdb.com/title/tt1241329/fullcredits/

In addition to Gilford, Heard and Hurt, THE RIVER WHY stars Academy Award nominee
Kathleen Quinlan (Apollo 13), Dallas Roberts (Walk the Line), and Emmy/Golden Globe nominee William Devane (Knots Landing). It co-stars Alex Hurt (the son of William Hurt, in his first feature film role), and Gattlin Griffith (Labor Day).

Directed and edited by Matthew Leutwyler, the film was produced by Kristi Denton Cohen and Peloton Productions. The screenplay is by Thomas A. Cohen and John Jay Osborn, Jr.

AUDIENCES LOVE THE RIVER WHY
'I typically like action movies (Machine Gun Preacher brought me here) and this is about as far from an action movie as possible, but wow was The River Why good, I'm glad I gave it a try. The whole movie is shot in the beautiful landscape of Oregon, which in itself makes the movie worth a look,' posts one of the many Netflix 5-star reviewers.

Viewer ratings and Internet visits:

YouTube: More than 600,000 views of the official trailers.

Netflix: More than 240,000 ratings with an average of 3.5-stars.
This is notable because THE RIVER WHY did not have a theatrical release and had virtually no consumer advertising

Shown on Showtime and PAY TV throughout the world, it is available everywhere on DVD and Netflix, iTunes, Hulu and Amazon with an average customer review of 3.7-stars.

On iTunes it rates 4-stars.

Based on the Netflix metric: The River Why is more popular than many well known independent films from the same era such as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Martha Marcy May Marlene, and Another Happy Day (Demi Moore, Kate Bosworth).

'The two leads are among the most underrated in the business; Zach Gilford from Friday Night Lights, and the beautiful Amber Heard, do not disappoint,' concludes the Netflix 5-star reviewer.

'Hands down the best movie I've ever seen. I love the story line, I love the fishing, I love the meaning of the meaning of each and every metaphor and I love how Gus (Gilford) and Eddy (Heard) 'click' and instantly fall in love,' notes a recent 5-star review on iTunes.

Image via The River Why official website.