Aahana Swrup
Directed by Andrew Patterson, ‘The Rivals of Amziah King’ brings an intriguing tale of honey-heisting, community building, and revenge-seeking, all of which is tied together with the framework of a neo-Western. Set in Oklahoma, the story revolves around the titular Amziah King, a pillar of his community, who has a dark past of his own. When the authorities discover a local plot involving millions of dollars worth of honey theft, the beekeeper is roped into an investigation that is bigger than it seems.
In the process of solving this mystery, his path crosses with Kateri, his former foster daughter. Despite the years spent apart, the father-daughter duo quickly falls back into each other’s orbit, and the young woman finds herself learning the ins and outs of the honey business. However, as the ploy of the honey theft continues, Amziah and his foster daughter’s entanglement in it quickly takes on a vengeful turn. The narrative, a technicolor of genre-blending, offers a wild ride, made relatable and familiar through its setting and fascinating array of characters.
The Rivals of Amziah King is a Fictional Story About the Reality of Rural Americana
‘The Rivals of Amziah King’ charts an entirely fictitious story written and directed by Andrew Patterson, who initially set out to create something he hadn’t seen depicted before. For him, this ended up being the novelty yet familiarity of life in rural America. Thus, the narrative of Amziah King was conceptualized, set in the state of Oklahoma. The script itself, at first written in 2018, underwent a few rewrites, even taking on the length more suited to a miniseries at one point. This process of writing and rewriting the project allowed Patterson to unlock certain aspects of the story previously hidden in its first iteration.
By his third swing at the story, the experience started feeling akin to adapting his own novel. Ultimately, the final version of the story emerged as an Oklahoma-based narrative sustaining aspects of various genres. From bluegrass blues musical moments to a central caper plot with a revenge arc, and a thematic focus on country life and community, the film became a compelling amalgamation of interesting storytelling elements. Although the story never mines any direct inspiration from real life, the filmmaker’s own experiences certainly had an influence on the project’s grounding focus on rural America. In a conversation with The Globe and Mail, Patterson spoke about the same, highlighting how the hyperspecific setting contributes to the story’s sense of realism.
“This (Oklahoma) is where I grew up, where I lived, what I know,” said Patterson. “My mom and dad are Texans, but my grandparents on my dad’s side are Oklahomans, farmers. I’m a couple of generations removed from being part of the agricultural life, but the sentiments are still there. I don’t want to say that the story could be universal, because there are certainly places in parts of America where you couldn’t set this story. But I do believe that there are universal things about living off the land, living in a small community.” Thus, even without a tangible basis in a real-life story, the film finds a way to stay grounded in reality.
The Rivals of Amziah King Delves Into the Dark Side of Agriculture
One of the central aspects of the narrative in ‘The Rivals of Amziah King’ emerges from its focus on the honey-thefts causing havoc around the local beekeeping community. This storyline ties in with the character of Dob McCoy, a raging industrialist and honeymaking magnate who is on the prowl for local small businesses. While the character and his narrative remain a work of the film’s fictionality, the plotline becomes a realistic representation of a prominent struggle plaguing the country’s farming communities.
The rapid monopolization of farmlands, processing systems, and supply chains continues to have an adverse effect on local rural communities and economies. An ideal rural economy thrives on locally sustained business practices, where the workers are locally sourced, and the profit goes back into the prosperity of the community. However, the arrival of big agribusinesses disrupts this flow of the economy, oftentimes pushing farmers into debt, job insecurity, and cycles of exploitative dependency. ‘The Rivals of Amziah King’ doesn’t offer a documentary-esque exploration of this part of rural America. Yet, the story remains attuned to these struggles, showcasing them as a brutal reality along with the cheerful and favorable side of community living.
The Various Inspirations That Shaped The Rivals of Amziah King
‘The Rivals of Amziah King’ offers a compelling patchwork of genres that seamlessly blend with each other. In this collection of storytelling elements, filmmaker Andrew Patterson found the inspiration and influence for different aspects of the story from different places. For instance, the turn in the narrative that transforms the storyline into a revenge plot with Kateri at its center came from the filmmaker’s work with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma on documentary projects. Additionally, he was also influenced by the 1948 Howard Hawks directorial film ‘Red River.’ In the old Western, the protagonist shoots down two Latino farmers in the first 20 minutes.
Upon seeing this, Patterson was intrigued by the idea of centering a story around a daughter of one of these murdered individuals who would embark on a quest to hunt the story’s hero. Various other cinematic endeavors, such as ‘̌The Broken Circle Breakdown’ and ‘The Last Bison,’ offered inspirations and muses to the creative. Even though these inspirations remain subtle and channeled mostly in the film’s thematic identity, they shape the crucial Western aspects of the project. Ultimately, all of these elements contribute to creating a familiar and authentic foundation for the otherwise fictitious storyline and characters.
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