One of the most promising-looking movies that you probably won’t get to see in theaters this fall is the indie dramedy Humboldt County, the feature debut of writing/directing duo Darren Grodsky and Danny Jacobs.

I checked out the trailer (here it is over at Apple.com) knowing little about the film, and was very impressed with what I saw – everything from the cinematography to the performances look to be pretty spot-on in this small-scale but seemingly heartfelt tale of a mentally burned-out med student (Jeremy Strong) who winds up in an off-the-grid California community of tightly-knit medicinal marijuana growers. Director Peter Bogdanovich, a guy I always love to see in front of the camera, plays Strong’s hard-nosed doctor father; the talented but not exactly name-brand supporting cast also includes Fairuza Balk, Frances Fisher, and Brad Dourif.

According to the directors’ blog, the film is slated for a select-cities release on September 26 that will probably bypass our area entirely, although it will be available to HDNet subscribers in “exclusive airings” starting on September 1.

Yes, Humboldt County does seem to have a familiar, Garden State-ish ring to it, but something about this movie – and, no, it’s not the pot-related plot – seems pretty special, and I hope it makes its way to our corner of the world before too long.

Here’s a low-res look at the trailer, though the HD version at Apple does the film’s gorgeous visuals a lot more justice: