A riverboat captain and his faithful dachshund search for lost treasure, and the fountain of youth, in rural Florida.
This is a very low budget production, with most of the roles filled by the director's family and friends. It's a very different film from Carter Lord's haunting, independent horror The Enchanted (1984), though the two films do share a few elements, including some atmospheric scenes in the forests and streams of Florida, where the images and soundtrack come together to convey a magical beauty. In this film, the forest spirits are just a fun way of making the place into a character, though I did wonder if only Evinrude and Fred can see them.
The real acting star here is Fred, who turns in a wonderful performance that was unaccountably overlooked by the jury of the coveted Palm Dog, an award he richly deserved. As well as doing his own stunts, including some quite dangerous-looking ones in a capsizing canoe, he also provides the film's best comic moments.
The story, and its environmental message, tends to get a bit lost in the editing, but the viewer is left with no doubt that the real treasure to seek is the Florida wilderness itself.
This is a very low budget production, with most of the roles filled by the director's family and friends. It's a very different film from Carter Lord's haunting, independent horror The Enchanted (1984), though the two films do share a few elements, including some atmospheric scenes in the forests and streams of Florida, where the images and soundtrack come together to convey a magical beauty. In this film, the forest spirits are just a fun way of making the place into a character, though I did wonder if only Evinrude and Fred can see them.
The real acting star here is Fred, who turns in a wonderful performance that was unaccountably overlooked by the jury of the coveted Palm Dog, an award he richly deserved. As well as doing his own stunts, including some quite dangerous-looking ones in a capsizing canoe, he also provides the film's best comic moments.
The story, and its environmental message, tends to get a bit lost in the editing, but the viewer is left with no doubt that the real treasure to seek is the Florida wilderness itself.