Indie distributor Buffalo 8 seldom goes wrong, a fact that remains intact with H. Nelson Tracey's sublime weaving together of storytelling meets a damn near perfect ensemble cast to create one of the year's more engaging indie gems. 

Ben (Chandler Riggs) brings girlfriend Cassie (Samantha Isler) to his rural Oregon home for the holidays, a homecoming that quickly goes awry when a late-night argument leads to a breakup and Cassie's attempt to return to Los Angeles is derailed by inclement weather. 

While you may already be thinking to yourself that Breakup Season sounds like a retread, rest assured that Tracey's storytelling feels so natural and honest that you can't help but be drawn into a quietly transcendent story with that rare indie ensemble that feels perfect throughout. 

Currently available via your usual major streaming platforms, Breakup Season is the feature debut for H. Nelson Tracey. What a fine debut it is! Tracey avoids histrionics, breathing a coming-of-age sensibility into this heartfelt glimpse at the early years of being a young adult and figuring out what love is and what love is not. The holiday element could have been an unnecessary twist, however, it feels like just the perfect touch as this fragile relationship deals with family dynamics and holiday expectations. As someone who had my own engagement end after an office Christmas party, there were notes here that simply play so very truthful. 

I ran across my own first real love a couple years ago, more than a couple decades since we'd parted ways. When I shared, with an almost embarrassing sentimentality, that I'd kept a certain photographic print from Jan Saudek that she'd given me all these years, you can likely feel my heart plummet when she struggled to recall it. 

Sigh. 

Riggs and Isler make for a believable coupling, yet they also subtly reveal the cracks within their familiar intimacies. We both believe in their relationship and in the fragility and vulnerability of it. It is to the credit of both Riggs and Isler that we believe them wherever they take us. 

Brook Hogan and James Urbaniak shine brightly as Ben's parents, their earthiness a refreshing detour from the usual histrionics we see in these types of roles. Carly Stewart is also excellent as Liz, Cassie's younger sister and one of the film's real sparks. Finally, there's the always reliable Jacob Wysocki Gordon. In a myriad of ways, Wysocki's Gordon is the heart and soul of Breakup Season. Wysocki's performance here serves as yet another reminder that he's such a gifted and underappreciated performer. 

Lensing by Eric Macey is remarkable in the way it visualizes the film's emotional rhythms. It's a perfect companion to David Stal's similarly resonant original score that immerses us in the laughs and laments of Tracey's storytelling. 

Breakup Season is an engaging and meaningful feature debut from H. Nelson Tracey and that rare indie drama that never hits a false note including an ending that feels honest and earned and deeply respectful to these characters. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic