Someone contacted me recently to introduce a new film that includes craft beer as a theme in the story, For When You Get Lost. That’s not something that happens very often. Craft beer is seldom a topic approached in cinema. That’s an understatement. Craft beer is rarely even mentioned in movies. For When You Get Lost is not a film about craft beer, per se, but craft beer and craft breweries are important elements in the story.
You can stream the movie on Amazon Prime Video and the other platforms mentioned below. The film is cute and touching, and it does indeed involve craft beer and breweries. It’s based on a road trip. The first stop, just a few minutes into the movie, is Moylan’s Brewing in Novato, California. Some of the locations will seem familiar to beer travelers who’ve explored the Pacific Coast of Northern California and Oregon. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t mention the other breweries the characters visit.
The play-within-the-play moment comes when one of the characters refers to the road trip as a fu*ked up beer version of Sideways. In one particularly funny scene, the main character rants about IPA in a way that is reminiscent of the infamous “merlot” scene in Sideways.
The film’s screenwriter and co-star, Jennifer Sorenson, has some background working in the craft beer industry so she brings some authenticity to the story. The rant about IPA seems genuine. Sorenson worked at Moylan’s Brewing.
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
For When You Get Lost is described as an award-winning indie comedy that toasts the bonds of family, friendship, and craft beer. The tale is based on a road trip that took Jennifer Sorenson, the film’s screenwriter and co-star, from Northern California up the Oregon Coast and into Washington. Along the way, breweries and beers happen. Lots of beer. Lots of breweries.
In an interview with Film Threat, Jennifer said, “I worked [at Moylan’s Brewing] and went to beer festivals with my friends and co-workers all the time. We met everybody in my local scene, and I fell in love with the community. I learned about beer, gained a lot of weight — because you can’t drink too much craft beer without that happening — and became so enamored with the family side of the beer industry.”
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
“So when I did the actual road trip, I was by myself, and I stayed near breweries at every stop because I wanted to feel safe like I did when I had worked in that world. I took those real-life experiences into my writing and thought it would be interesting to have characters who went through breweries for the same reasons and a main character (in June) who continues to search for family in those places.”
“I also found it interesting that beer isn’t associated with women a lot, and actually, a lot of the breweries in the film are owned or co-owned by women. So we wanted to shift that status quo because I’ll let you in on a little secret… Girls like beer.”
The film’s synopsis says, “In this uplifting and emotionally charged comedy, inspired by a real road trip, June Stevenson [played by Sorenson] drags her estranged sisters on a road trip up the Pacific Coast to make amends with their difficult father. Along the way, she distracts herself with picturesque landmarks, craft breweries, and picturesque men in craft breweries, but ultimately, she must face the fact that there’s more to her family’s fractures than she thought.”
Along the way, the lead character bonds with her estranged sisters and they visit landmarks and memorable breweries like Six Rivers Brewery, Lost Coast Brewery, Redwood Curtain Brewing, and others. To help create the story, Jennifer Sorenson drew from her extensive experience in the craft beer world.
For When You Get Lost premiered for streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Vudu/Fandango at Home on November 15.
Awards:
-Austin Film Festival 2023, Audience Award Winner
-Cinetopia Film Festival 2024, Audience Award Winner
-Julien Dubuque International Film Festival 2024, Audience Choice
-Durango Film Festival 2024, Audience Award, Best Narrative
