Danger? What danger?

Another Cinetopia movie this evening. This one wasn't gay related or a documentary. I saw The Incredible Adventures of Jojo (and His Annoying Sister Avila). Jojo is a boy of six years. His sister Avila is one. After a car accident they survive in the woods for a few days making their way back to Grandma's house. The tone is lighthearted, more about making the parents in the audience cringe and laugh than portraying much menace and danger. There are dangers – an annoyed hobo, bear traps, rushing rivers, and wolves. The escapes are usually ingenious and fun. A good clue that the story will turn out just fine is that most of the adults are portrayed as incompetent.

The filmmaker was there and answered questions afterward. He and his wife were pretty much the entire crew. Avila is their daughter and Jojo is their nephew (and those are their real names). A large number of actors have the same last name, likely relations of the director. The husband and wife also did all the post-production work, taking several years to do so (Avila is now seven) while earning money at other kinds of jobs.

A big part of the discussion after the film was how could you take your own kids into the woods and put them in so much danger? The director talked about adapting the script to incorporate stunts the kids could actually do. Traits of the characters are based on things the two kids actually did a lot.