Directed by Peter Fonda and written by Thomas Matthiesen, Idaho Transfer is a 1973, time-travel tale that lands in 2029, culminating in a profound surprise. I was able to re-experience it and thought it worthy of a Bizarrechats "Time Travel Time" post.
The fable's premise concerns a research endeavor near Idaho's lava fields (Craters of the Moon Monument and Preserve), where young folk are jaunted fifty-six years into the future to begin a new society, in light of a vague, pending, ecological mishap. Only those around twenty years of age can survive the time-traveling projection, since anyone older than such experiences severe, kidney failure upon being launched.
The 2029 landscape is doleful and desolate, and when the government "unplugs" the time machines (compartmental contraptions, which require their underdressed riders to sit on slides, from which they are teleported ala Star Trek), the youths must fend for themselves, journeying by foot to Portland, Oregon (where others are said to prevail). One by one, the members fall to the wayside, leaving the last participant (in the manner of Rod Serling's "The Rip Van Winkle Caper" and "I Shot an Arrow Into the Air") to face the fable's frightful revelation.
Matthiesen's script works like such sardonic parables as Soylent Green, Planet of the Apes, Silent Running, Logan's Run and The Quiet Earth, though its low-budget constraints keep it intimate throughout, with Fonda progressing a gradual build, underscored by Bruce (Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker) Langhorne's relaxing, if not ominous score.
With the exception of Keith Carradine, who holds a supporting role, the movie features unknowns for its cast, which includes Kelley Bohanan, Caroline Hildebrand, Judy Claire Walker, Dale Hopkins and Kevin Hearst. Fonda, who financed the movie out of pocket, chose this approach not only for budgetary benefit, but also to give the story a relatable ambiance. On this basis, the movie harkens the ensembles of George A. Romero's earliest efforts, where sincere performances spring from those who might be one's neighbors.
Despite Fonda's involvement, Idaho Transfer, isn't as known as it should be, but for those who enjoy speculative stories that lead to disconcerting outcomes, it's worth seeking and can be found at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xsf5RAwd1Ds
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