Writer/director Charlotte Wincott took a chance by casting her husband and her son in her debut feature “The Issue with Elvis.” But her gamble on this low-budget family affair which was created during lockdown has paid off. The two-hander rests entirely on the relationship between Dr. Michael Mercer (Jeff Wincott), a retired botanist and fungi specialist living in the hills of West Virginia, and young Elvis (Wolfgang Wincott), a runaway named after Elvis Costello who gravitates to Mercer as friend and father figure. The casting works as both Wincotts deliver likable, loose performances that convey an affecting chemistry.
Mercer’s passion for fungi is driven by his own experiments in an attempt to relive some of his ailments including arthritis. He lives alone in an inviting, well-kept cabin and seems content with his solitary life since leaving academia. The picturesque landscape is part of the story with shots of the lakes, woods, and trees mottled with the prized fungi. One day, a shaggy haired boy shows up in the woods and Mercer provides him with food. Mercer discovers that the kid is living in an abandoned school bus. They form a tentative friendship as Mercer coaxes information from Elvis about why he’s living on his own.
Even with dialogue that sometimes seems a bit too eloquent even for an intelligent kid, Wolfgang Wincott is a natural screen presence whether matter-of-factly describing his single dad’s delusions about aliens or pushing Mercer to take his medication when it becomes evident that the mushrooms aren’t helping his pain. The two form a genuine bond as Mercer learns more about Elvis’s unstable home life with his mentally ill father and tries to help and Elvis’s growing trust of the laid back Mercer who has provided him with a place of safety. Aided by some atmospheric songs, “The Issue with Elvis” is a fresh and winning father/son story.
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