Humboldt County

Humboldt County is a 2008 comedy drama film by Darren Grodsky and Danny Jacobs. It stars Jeremy Strong in his film debut, Fairuza Balk, Frances Conroy, Madison Davenport, Brad Dourif, Chris Messina and Peter Bogdanovich. The film made its debut at SXSW on March 11, 2008. It was picked up by Magnolia Pictures and was released on September 26, 2008. Plot Peter Hadley is an overachieving medical student at UCLA. He is given failing grades on his final exam by his professor, who also happens to be his father. Unable to graduate, he becomes bitter and disillusioned. He then meets up with the actress who played the part of his patient in his final exam, the free-spirited part-time jazz singer Bogart. The two of them go back to her apartment after a night at a jazz club and have casual sex. Afterwards she gets up to go for a drive and asks Peter if he'd like to come, to which he agrees. The two of them drive north through the night and Peter eventually dozes off. When he wakes up, he finds that Bogart has driven all the way to Humboldt County. It is here that he meets her family. Jack and Rosie took her in when her family abandoned her, and they became her surrogate parents. He also meets Max, Jack and Rosie's son and Charity, Max's daughter. After an uncomfortable night in which Peter finds out that they are all involved in growing pot, he finally manages to go to sleep. The next morning he is woken up abruptly by Max. When he gets dressed, he finds out that Bogart has left. Stranded and unwilling to call his father for help, Peter's only choice is to take the bus, which won't come for another day. With nothing else to do, Max enlists him to help with his marijuana crop, which Peter reluctantly agrees to do. After a day of working on some irrigation problems, they relax back at Jack and Rosie's house. Bob and Steve, friends of Max, arrive bloodied and dirty. Some local hicks found their garden, roughed them up and took their plants. The next day, Peter helps Max with his plants again. He becomes so focused on the work that he misses the bus. It is after this that he begins to bond with Max and the rest of his family. He quickly falls in love with the natural surroundings and the residents of the rural community and stops trying to leave. He begins to understand empathy and love (the thing he previously lacked, which caused him to fail his final exam in the first place).