Wrestlers flock to the Fox Theater at 40th anniversary ‘Vision Quest’ SpIFF showing

Released 40 years ago, it’s safe to say a lot has changed since Louden Swain jogged across Spokane’s bridges in the iconic opening of the film “Vision Quest.”

Still, there are plenty of modern Spokanites who find themselves relating to Matthew Modine’s character, Swain, an 18-year-old high school wrestler on a “Vision Quest” to beat the best wrestler in the area before he graduates. On Sunday, those Spokanites took their seats at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox for the film’s 40th anniversary showing, hosted by the Spokane International Film Festival and featuring a visit from Modine.

For Addy Steppe, her connections to Modine’s character are clear.

The Rogers High School sophomore recently placed third at the state wrestling competition and knows all too well the wrestler’s plight of cutting weight before a big match or having her sights set on conquering an opponent.

“There’s someone that’s a movie version of me,” Steppe said, attending the school and living in the city where the movie was filmed. “It’s like all the things that I’ve done and am going to do, but put into a movie.”

Steppe was one of many past and present wrestlers to attend the Spokane International Film Festival’s final exhibition, a showing of Vision Quest with Modine in attendance on Sunday. Many attendees wore wrestling swag: hoodies from their high school days or letterman jackets. Steppe donned a purple Rogers wrestling hoodie, the back proclaiming, “Girls wrestle too!”

Addy attended the showing with Lynn Steppe, her aunt and a Rogers graduate who was a sophomore while the movie was filmed at her school.

“I knew a lot of people that were in it, and it was kind of exciting to have that happen at your school,” Lynn said.

Brothers Chad and Todd Gilbert are similarly connected, Chad wrestled in high school and saw the movie in theaters and Todd was an extra in a cut scene. Though he didn’t make it to the silver screen, he’s proud his city did.

“It was just neat that Hollywood or the film industry would have Spokane on the map as a place to film movies,” Todd said.

Chad has seen the movie countless times and could practically recite lines along with the actors, he joked.

“It’s just well done. It really is. And it’s not cheesy at all,” Chad said. “The soundtrack’s good and just seeing people up and coming, the actors, it’s just awesome. And just the element that’s filmed here. We’ve just always loved it.”

Though she didn’t wrestle, the message of the film resonates with Lynn. “Don’t wait until tomorrow,” love interest Carla advises Swain in the film, and it still sticks with Lynn 40 years later.

“One of the things she told him, ‘You set out to do this and win this guy, you can’t stop. You got to do what you started out to do,’ ” Lynn said. “Tomorrow might not ever come. If you wait till tomorrow, you might not get the chance, because life goes by.”