Don Peyote is not a stoner comedy with apocalyptic undertones. As a matter of fact, it's actually a rather sweet, vulnerable, and personal film about life, maturity, and ultimately manhood. Now, when you first watch the film none of this may be clear, and maybe it was only so obvious to me because I had my own Don Peyote moment when my wife was pregnant for the first time, but I'll get to that later.
The secret to the truth of Don Peyote is to not let your mind drift, simply listen and watch everything as it is laid out. Take the character of Balance. Balance, a childhood friend who is never there when you want him to be, but always when you need him to be. Now think back to your childhood and for most of us balance was there. Stress and drama didn't exist. Our lives revolved around playing baseball, watching Star Wars, and hoping to one day touch a boob. Then came responsibility and bills and jobs and relationships and roles that we are told we have to play. Like a tidal wave crushing us over and over and over every minute we think we have our head above water. Back to the film, Warren has been engaged for 3 years to a woman who desperately wants to have a child right away and wants Warren to finally gain direction and get a job.
Don Peyote isn't a film about conspiracies and mind altering drugs, it's a manifestation of all the anxiety and fears that the Warren's of the world feel at times in their lives. I always wanted to have a child with my wife. In fact, I was the one who pushed for it the moment we got married. When my wife got pregnant I was over the moon excited, couldn't wait. Then one day my mother in law, my wife, and myself were at a Babies R Us getting some last minute things for my upcoming daughter. We stepped into the store and I don't remember what preceded it, but my mother in law said to me "You are going to be a dad after all." And like that, I went numb. They walked off to shop and I staggered over to the recliners, sat down, and had a full blown panic attack. I wasn't a father, I was going to ruin this child's life, I could barely go the day without stubbing my toe and this thing was coming into the world who's life and future depended on me. Now, I didn't go on a vagabond drug fueled walkabout, but had you peeked into my mind at that moment it was full blown Don P.
This is what independent filmmaking is all about, artistic and fantastical representations of universal experiences. What is more apocalyptic and world altering than getting married, or having a child, or disappointing someone you love? There's a moment in the film, before Warren makes his full turn, where he realizes that all the chaos and anxiety in his life is tempered by Karen. She was the only thing in his life that was true and good and made sense. His biggest fear then, is the total destruction of her in that image, so the next scene we see is just that. Again, it's the manifestation of his biggest fears. And in the end, after dance numbers, mental wards, and tripping with Josh Duhamel, the final scene of the film damn near brought me to tears. A wordless exchange between Don Peyote (formerly Warren) and someone he didn't even know his life was missing.
There's no telling how much, if any, of the film is really happening to Warren/Don and no real way to know what his future holds, but the peace and serenity in that scene make all the chaos he goes through worth it.
Watch Don Peyote. Whatever your expectations or preconceived notions are going in, just chuck them aside and take a glimpse into the mind of a man processing life's crossroads.
The secret to the truth of Don Peyote is to not let your mind drift, simply listen and watch everything as it is laid out. Take the character of Balance. Balance, a childhood friend who is never there when you want him to be, but always when you need him to be. Now think back to your childhood and for most of us balance was there. Stress and drama didn't exist. Our lives revolved around playing baseball, watching Star Wars, and hoping to one day touch a boob. Then came responsibility and bills and jobs and relationships and roles that we are told we have to play. Like a tidal wave crushing us over and over and over every minute we think we have our head above water. Back to the film, Warren has been engaged for 3 years to a woman who desperately wants to have a child right away and wants Warren to finally gain direction and get a job.
Don Peyote isn't a film about conspiracies and mind altering drugs, it's a manifestation of all the anxiety and fears that the Warren's of the world feel at times in their lives. I always wanted to have a child with my wife. In fact, I was the one who pushed for it the moment we got married. When my wife got pregnant I was over the moon excited, couldn't wait. Then one day my mother in law, my wife, and myself were at a Babies R Us getting some last minute things for my upcoming daughter. We stepped into the store and I don't remember what preceded it, but my mother in law said to me "You are going to be a dad after all." And like that, I went numb. They walked off to shop and I staggered over to the recliners, sat down, and had a full blown panic attack. I wasn't a father, I was going to ruin this child's life, I could barely go the day without stubbing my toe and this thing was coming into the world who's life and future depended on me. Now, I didn't go on a vagabond drug fueled walkabout, but had you peeked into my mind at that moment it was full blown Don P.
This is what independent filmmaking is all about, artistic and fantastical representations of universal experiences. What is more apocalyptic and world altering than getting married, or having a child, or disappointing someone you love? There's a moment in the film, before Warren makes his full turn, where he realizes that all the chaos and anxiety in his life is tempered by Karen. She was the only thing in his life that was true and good and made sense. His biggest fear then, is the total destruction of her in that image, so the next scene we see is just that. Again, it's the manifestation of his biggest fears. And in the end, after dance numbers, mental wards, and tripping with Josh Duhamel, the final scene of the film damn near brought me to tears. A wordless exchange between Don Peyote (formerly Warren) and someone he didn't even know his life was missing.
There's no telling how much, if any, of the film is really happening to Warren/Don and no real way to know what his future holds, but the peace and serenity in that scene make all the chaos he goes through worth it.
Watch Don Peyote. Whatever your expectations or preconceived notions are going in, just chuck them aside and take a glimpse into the mind of a man processing life's crossroads.