Texas Thrill Ride Takes a Trip to The Big Bend

In 2018, L.A.-based filmmaker Brett Wagner went on a family vacation to the home of his friend, Aaron Brown, in Terlingua, located deep in West Texas and just outside of Big Bend National Park. Upon arrival, Wagner was immediately mesmerized by the remote enviroment: the harsh desert, the vibrant sky of stars, the rugged landscape. During an excursion, there was a minor incident where one of the children wandered off for a few brief minutes. Nearly three years later, those experiences would inspire Wagner to return to Texas to direct his new feature, The Big Bend, with Brown as his producer. The film is set to make its world premiere at this year’s Austin Film Festival, and Wagner said he was “extremely excited … Almost everybody associated with the film is from the Austin area, which means so many more of them will be able to attend. It’s like a homecoming.”

The Big Bend stars Jason Butler Harner, Virginia Kull, Erica Ash, David Sullivan, as well as Wagner’s two daughters, Delilah and Zoë, and features a score by Austin’s own Shakey Graves. The story follows the experiences of two families as their vacation turns into a suspenseful escalation of traumatic events that push the boundaries of their relationships.

The process of shooting on-location in Terlingua was tumultuous, to say the least. Scorching West Texas heat, unpredictably turbulent thunderstorms that caused power outages, and rocky terrain would make for a challenging shoot, especially given that they were only operating on the budget of an independent film. These conditions made scouting for locations complicated, given that the group was adamant about finding the perfect scenery to complement the story.

Matters became even more complicated for one of the film’s leads, Kull, who filmed the indie while six months pregnant with twins. Kull said that despite being pregnant, she couldn’t possibly pass up the role, and said the crew took immense care of her during the shoot. “It’s always going to be a really special film for the experience, but also because I had my little ones while I was working. It became an amazing little time capsule.”

Wagner expressed his excitement that the crew would be able to celebrate at the festival after the strenuous and challenging shoot. “We felt like a family by the end of this. We were put through the wringer, we worked really hard, we lived in close quarters. Every­body involved did it for love and passion.”

The Big Bend

Austin Film Festival, Oct. 21-28. Find all our news, reviews, and interviews at austinchronicle.com/austin-film-festival.

This article appears in October 22 • 2021.