River of Grass

River of Grass is a 1994 American independent film directed by Kelly Reichardt in her feature film directorial debut. Reichardt wrote the screenplay from a story by her and Jesse Hartman. It was selected for the Sundance Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival, and was nominated for the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and four Independent Spirit Awards. The film is set in the Broward and Dade Counties of Florida, between Miami and the Everglades (nicknamed "the River of Grass"). The story concerns two unhappy runaways who attempt to flee South Florida after getting involved in a shooting incident. Inspired by Terrence Malick's Badlands (1973), the film subverts common crime drama and road movie tropes; Reichardt explained that she and Hartman wanted to understand "how the lone-rebel, a fixture in every road movie, could exist in the '90s when even the Burger King slogan tells you to 'Break the Rules.'" The film ultimately suggests that the protagonists are as interested in fleeing their unsatisfying lives back home as they are in fleeing the police.