PRODUCTION PROFILE
Title: Big Sky River (2022)
Director: Peter Benson
Cast: Emmanuelle Vaugier, Kavan Smith, Cassidy Nugent,
Sawyer Fraser, John JJ Miller
Genre: Drama / Contemporary Western Romance
THE PLOT:
The story centers on Tara (played by Emmanuelle Vaugier), a woman reeling from a highly
complex and painful divorce. Stripped of legal maternal rights to her beloved stepdaughter, Erin
(Cassidy Nugent)—whom she has lovingly raised for nearly a decade—Tara is forced to find a
space where she can process her grief and figure out how to move forward. She decides to rent a
cabin in Parable, Montana, the rustic mountain town where she spent her happiest childhood
vacations.
Hoping for a quiet summer surrounded by nothing but the local wildlife, horses, and a few yard
chickens, Tara’s plans take an unexpected turn when she meets her next-door neighbor. Boone
Taylor (Kavan Smith) is a handsome, down-to-earth local sheriff and a widowed father raising his
two young, energetic boys, Fletcher and Griffin.
“Part of life is moving forward and doing whatever you need to do to get there.”
— Sheriff Boone Taylor
What begins as a series of cautious neighborly interactions—including Boone helping Tara
capture a stray chicken and saving her home from a midnight “intruder” (which hilariously turns
out to be an adventurous local raccoon)—gradually blossoms into an authentic emotional bond.
The drama deepens when Tara’s ex-husband, overwhelmed by parenting challenges, asks Tara to
take in her stepdaughter Erin for the remainder of the summer. The transition presents both a
joyous reunion and a stark reminder of the fragile nature of modern blended families.