A subtle antagonism pulsates between the men, due to a kind of one-upmanship less to do with actual competition than assertions of allegiance to diverging lifestyles; in the recognizable way of reunions, the stories they tell in catching up seek on some level to justify their choices to the other.
— Kristi Mitsuda (Reverse Shot)
As the film progresses, [Reichardt] starts to gradually privilege Kurt’s vantage point, most clearly in the scenes where Mark receives cell phone calls from his girlfriend and is seen answering them either in long shot or through the car windshield—putting himself at a distance from what is supposed to be an intimate reunion. (Reichardt achieves something similar in her later feature Meek’s Cutoff, which slowly asserts the perspective of the female characters over the male ones until it feels turned inside out.)
— Adam Nayman (Reverse Shot)
Synopsis: Soon to be a father, Mark feels the pressure of domestic responsibility closing in, so he is more than happy to accept when his old friend Kurt proposes a camping trip in the Oregon wilderness. During their time together, the men come to grips with the changes in their lives and the effect on their relationship.