Trego Filmmaker’s new comedy, ‘Out to Pasture,’ depicts a mafia hitman in northwestern Montana

Describing the origins of his latest film, “Out to Pasture,” Trego filmmaker and cinematographer Kier Atherton says he originally set out to write a ‘90s mob comedy set in Montana. But the hitman character he envisioned in a supporting role ended up being the character he really wanted to explore in the film.

The hitman he had in mind all along was French actor Theo Trifard, whom Atherton had come to view as a kind of artistic muse after working with him on his first film, “Love Like Gold.”

The process of finishing that 2015 film, a collaboration with Eureka’s Skye Grace Bennett, was a struggle. While writing the script for “Love Like Gold” in Montana in February, Atherton said it was hard not to lose the faith and hope he had in the idea. But Trifard always seemed to be there, writing regularly with encouragement and support. When the cast and crew were finally assembled, Atherton said the French actor’s professionalism had a way of lifting up everyone around him.

“I knew I trusted him to carry a movie, which allowed me to really enjoy fleshing out all the other characters around him,” Atherton said.

On Sunday, September 15, people will get a chance to see Atherton and Trifard’s latest collaboration when “Out to Pasture” makes its Montana premiere at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center. Trifard plays Le Shark, a mob hitman on the verge of retirement whose latest job goes wrong and leaves him on the run in a small Montana town.

The comedy is a mix of what Atherton describes as French and American humor. He said he was influenced by the comedies of Jacques Tati, a French actor and filmmaker who acted, directed and wrote films from the 1930s through the 1970s.

“It’s a little more physical comedy. The character is kind of in the environment, and it’s not dialogue-heavy like American comedy,” Atherton said. The downside of Tati’s work is that it tends to be slower, and doesn’t always hold the audience’s attention, according to Atherton, who said that with “Out to Pasture,” the goal was to integrate a story with a character arc.

“I wanted to make something, a comedy, with a local flavor and hopefully some heart,” Atherton said.

Opposite Trifard is musician Rob Quist in his film debut as the sheriff of the fictional town of Grave River. Rounding out the main cast are Annemarie Jones, a New York City actress and comedienne born and raised in Montana, Mikey Winn, a Whitefish actor and longtime regular in Whitefish Theatre Company productions, and Whitefish actor and tenor Mike Eldred.

In addition to casting, Atherton brought in other local collaborators. The film’s music was composed by Jesse Phillips, originally from Eureka, who is a founding member and bassist for the Alabama-based band St. Paul and the Broken Bones. The film’s visual effects were done by Jamie Ferguson in Kalispell. Filming took place in Flathead and Lincoln County in October 2021.

“It’s a fish out of water story,” Atherton said. “There’s one person who clearly doesn’t belong here, and then you can populate the world with some more local characters. So it was a good setup to work with some local theater actors and some local non-actors who fit the roles really well.”

Atherton grew up in Trego and joked that he now lives on the other side of the same swamp he grew up in. His interest in writing drew him to the University of Montana, where he eventually began taking classes in the university’s emerging media arts program and developed a deeper interest in documentary filmmaking. After graduating, Atherton took jobs with the U.S. Forest Service on trail crews and also worked in music. He was the tour manager for St. Paul and the Broken Bones when the eight-piece soul band felt like they were starting to break through, but he opted to return to Montana and finish the script for “Love Like Gold.”

In the years since, Atherton has worked as a cinematographer on several projects, including “Bring Them Home,” the documentary narrated by Lily Gladstone that tells the story of how the Blackfoot Nation worked to preserve buffalo and secure a future for the animals. He has also done cinematography for other Flathead residents, such as Adam Pittman and Morgan Delaney, and has collaborated with local nonprofits and performing groups. Over the course of his career, he has done cinematography for films including “Buster’s Mal Heart,” starring Rami Malek, and “The Ballad of Lefty Brown,” starring Bill Pullman.

“Out to Pasture” premiered in Paris last month. The Montana premiere this weekend will include a red carpet drink special at Spotted Bear Spirits in Whitefish beforehand, and Atherton said they encourage people who are in the mood to dress up for the red carpet. The screening begins at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a Q&A with cast and crew after the film. Tickets are $20. For more information, including advance ticket purchases, visit http://motionnoise.com/.

(email address)