Sunset Road is the name of a slice of pavement that cuts up the flank of Red Mountain, in southeast Washington wine country. It’s also where a new queer rom-com, also called “Sunset Road,” was shot.

In the first scene, Etta Campbell, played by the film’s director, Janet Krupin, is found on the roadside talking to a friend working in New York.  

Sam Work Bestie: “Remind me where are you now?” 

Etta Campbell: “Washington.”

Sam Work Bestie: “D.C.?”

Etta Campbell: “State.”

Sam Work Bestie: “Oh, Seattle?” 

Etta Campbell: “Nope. Three and half hours southeast. It’s Washington wine country I guess?”

The film is based on the plot of “Romeo and Juliet.” 

Instead of the Capulets and Montagues, the warring families are upset with wine and what to top it with – corks or screw tops. They have it out at a popular Richland restaurant, called Fiction. 

Papa Campbell: “Maybe one of you could tell me why you prefer screw tops over natural cork? I’ve always wondered what in the world you’d …”

Oryn Montgomery: “How about them Mariners?” 

Mama Montgomery: “Screwtops are wonderful; they’re the wave of the future.” 

Spoiler alert: No one dies in this rom-com.  

Director Krupin was raised in the Tri-Cities, and moved to New York City.

She was on Broadway, and side-hustled hosting gigs. 

“Like, I was loving it,” Krupin said. “Doing the acting thing.” 

But, then came the pandemic.

“I think it was Friday the 13th, I will never forget it,” Krupin said. “They shut down Broadway and then they shut down the restaurants, and those were my two forms of income.” 

She moved back home to the Tri-Cities. She worked at Hightower Cellars during the pandemic. 

And her comedy was born. 

Krupin plays the Juliet-inspired character who falls in love with the warring family’s daughter. Under the string lights of her real-life parents’ house, the pair sip a rosé called “Any Other Name.” 

Oryn Montgomery: “Great body.”

Etta Campbell: “Why, thank you.”

Oryn Montgomery: “[laugh] The wine.” 

Etta Campbell: “Well, maybe you can tell me what a wine having body even means?”

Oryn Montgomery: “Body is how heavy or thin it feels in the mouth. Uh, this has a silky but substantial mouth feel.” 

This “queer romp” is set amid conservative agriculture, east of the Cascades. 

 Traci Gillig is an assistant professor at Washington State University. She studies gender, health and media. (Courtesy: Traci Gillig)

Traci Gillig is an assistant professor at Washington State University. She studies gender and media. She said this film doesn’t spotlight hardships for queer people – a rarity. 

“And I think also that a lot of what was seen in the past was sort of struggles,” Gillig said, “not that we need necessarily more media representations of those, that sort of space people are living in now.” 

The film cast many local actors and business people. Kelly Hightower co-owns a winery featured in the film. She said unlike the warring families in the new film, they use both cork and screw tops.

“When I first saw the movie it made me laugh out loud … It was just so funny,” Hightower said. “I mean actual quotes that actually happened here at the winery.” 

Tim and Kelly Hightower sit with Janet Krupin at Hightower Cellars on Red Mountain, which was featured in “Sunset Road.” (Credit: Anna King / NWPB)

The music from the film is recorded by Krupin’s sister, Halley Greg. “Sunset Road” is now on Amazon Prime Video.

* Kyle Norris contributed to this report.