Porter is a weak young man living in a predatory environment. He knows better, but he still lets his cousin goad him into doing wrong. Unfortunately, this leads to tragedy when he inadvertently kills an innocent girl as part of meaningless feud. More out fear than guilt, he literally walks away from the scene, heading to California from Austin, Texas, on foot.
That is a brutal hike, but Porter finds some help along the way. Frankly, the sullen protagonist is a problematic POV figure, but the way the predominantly white exurbanites react to him is surprisingly intriguing and nuanced. While they span the gamut, they are often quite compassionate, or Christian, as some of them put it.
Even though Porter changes his surroundings, we see he still carries the resulting psychological baggage. Indeed, the nub of the film really concerns whether or not Porter can come to terms with his emotional issues. Still, at least he sees some action on the road.
Though shot on a shoestring, Country boasts a mostly (though not entirely) professional grade cast, including Tabatha Shaun, bright and engaging as Leah, one of the ships Porter passes in the night. Of particularly interest to those of us who came up in the 80’s, Ferris Bueller’s mom, Cindy Pickett, has a substantial supporting role as Porter’s former high school teacher Pamela Dupree. She has several scenes of uncomfortable honesty that really help make the picture. As Porter, Thomas Galasso is actually rather effective when he shakes off his character’s extreme reserve, but he currently lacks that dynamic presence to prevent viewers from getting restive during his many scenes of silent wandering.
