Where the Fire Falls

April 23, 2018
Yosemite National Park shimmers in this majestic ode to the western mountain paradise from Barnett (The Road to Paradise). When California artist Olivia Rutherford is approached by a travel magazine in 1929 to paint scenes from the park, she agrees to the lucrative project largely because she wants to shed her flapper reputation and be taken seriously as an artist. She also hopes to use the money from the assignment to have a show and present her artwork favorably to the California avant-garde art scene. Backcountry guide Clark Johnson takes Olivia on a short tour of the valley. A former pastor haunted by false accusations against him, Clark has been biding his time as a trail guide, hoping God would return him one day to ministry. A few days on the trail with Olivia reveals her hidden down-to-earth nature, and as they hike through the beautiful terrain, their mutual attraction grows. Through Clark’s grounded faith and gentle affirmation, Olivia begins to reconsider her ambitions. Faith is an integral part of this sweet historical, with references to God woven in nicely. Barnett, a former park ranger, brings natural wonder to brilliant life.