“Northwest Passage”: A (Twisted) New Documentary About Growing Up Gay In David Lynch’s Twin Peaks

When it first premiered 25 years ago, David Lynch’s groundbreaking series Twin Peaks captivated viewers around the globe who were drawn into the show’s mystery, quirky characters, and eerie, intense atmosphere. Adam Baran‘s yet to be completed documentary, Northwest Passage is about Travis Blue, who grew up in the town where Peaks was filmed. In 1989, he saw the crew shooting the waterfall scene that opens the show and he went home and told his father:

“They’re filming something in town,” and his father said, “Oh, I saw something about that on the news, let’s go out this weekend and watch them film some more…”

Travis watched and he was amazed to see his world changing. He saw that could manipulate the world and make it a different place – make his home an altogether different place. Adam Baran says:

“On a lot of levels, ‘Twin Peaks’ saved him and helped him, and gave him a voice. But he also had to deal with a lot of abuse in his life, of different kinds, and eventually took this dark path and wound up living on the streets. In one of the key moments in the movie, we find that he was doing sex work in the same bar as Laura Palmer in the film, ‘Fire Walk with Me.’”

To protect himself from the abuse he endured, Travis emulated Laura Palmer, connecting to the show’s darker side and his obsession with the series grew with his dangerous behavior. Baran goes on…

“This is a story about ‘Twin Peaks,’ but it’s also a story about important issues: abuse, addiction, homelessness, growing up gay, bullying. I think this film has the power to transcend …. it’s about the way that fictional narratives affect our lives, in both positive and negative ways. So many people around the world use movies and TV as a way to figure out who they are, who they want to be, what they like, what they want their life to be like. At its core, this story is about that — and the ways that it can be a double edged sword. [Travis] is a fan who became really enmeshed in and inspired by this fictional world.”

The film is being produced by my friends P. David Ebersole & Todd Hughes who brought us the incredible Room 237 and Jonathan Caouette who directed the amazing doc, Tarnation. For the first time really, the film explores the impact of Lynch’s cult masterpiece by using one superfan’s incredible true story.

Their Kickstarter campaign is underway now and I have to say, besides wanting to support (and eventually see) this film, the premiums they are offering are so good on their own, it’s the oddest and best Twin Peaks fan gift shop ever. (See Travis, top with “The Log Lady” back in the day, and below, “TLL” drawing by artist Andrea Owens) There’s lots more… have a look at the trailer on Kickstarter here. Please share this to get the word out if you’re like me and you want to see how the story ends. See you at the movies!