Watch C.O.G.

C.O.G. is a 2013 indie drama film directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez, based on a short story by well-known American author David Sedaris. The film takes us on a journey with a young man named David (played by Jonathan Groff) who decides to leave his privileged life in New York City to embark on a self-discovering journey. The story is a poignant and sometimes dark coming-of-age tale that subverts many of the usual tropes of this genre.

David is a recent Yale graduate who tells his mother he is taking the summer off to "find himself." He has no real plan, but he decides to take a bus to Oregon and work as an apple picker. Once he arrives, he quickly realizes that he is in over his head. The work is difficult, he is not able to make friends, and he is surrounded by people who seem to have very different values than he does.

As David starts to explore his surroundings, he meets a few characters that will help him shape his views on the world. The first one is Jon (Corey Stoll), a factory worker who is not very skilled at his job but still taking pride in it. Jon is a devout Christian who believes in the literal word of the Bible and is also convinced that Obama is the Antichrist. He and David clash on many levels but still manage to find a common ground. Jon is both intriguing and confounding to David, and Stoll's nuanced performance perfectly captures the character's complexities.

Another important character is Curly (Denis O'Hare), a lonely eccentric who hires David to help him make clockwork art. Curly is openly gay, an artist, and an avid fan of Mozart. He is also kind of creepy and seems to be constantly crossing boundaries. O'Hare's performance is both funny and disturbing, and the character's arc is one of the most interesting aspects of the film.

Throughout the film, David faces many obstacles and comes up against beliefs and practices that are very different from his own. He starts to feel alienated and frustrated and realizes that he is not as enlightened or tolerant as he thought he was. As he confronts his prejudices, he starts to grow as a person and to question his own identity.

The movie is beautifully shot, with some stunning landscapes of rural Oregon, and the writing is smart and insightful. C.O.G. succeeds in conveying a sense of dislocation and isolation that characterizes David's journey. The film is both funny and sad, with moments of dark humor that punctuate the more melancholy scenes. The complicated relationships that David has with both Jon and Curly are handled deftly and with sensitivity, and the performances of the cast are uniformly excellent.

Overall, C.O.G. is a mature and thought-provoking film that offers a refreshing take on the coming-of-age genre. With its gorgeous visuals and sharp writing, it offers a realistic portrayal of a young man's journey of self-discovery, without resorting to cliches or pandering to the audience. It is a movie that treats its audience with intelligence and respect, and is well worth watching for anyone who is looking for a new perspective on the genre.

C.O.G. is a 2013 comedy with a runtime of 1 hour and 28 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.6 and a MetaScore of 60.