‘A Brief History of the Long Road’: Film Review – Various Var

A comforting and influential story about being away from the grid, “A Brief History of the Long Road” begins with a peaceful image of a young woman, whose long locks are floating on sunny water. Her father soon fell short before he was completely drowned in the peace of the moment. And soon, the time has come for the two of them to hit the street in their wine-rebuilt RV again, not even giving the teenager time to finish his hot dog, cooked over a gravel grill that has seen better days.

This brief opening of author-director Anne Simon-Kennedy (“Gray Days”) obscures the dazzling narrative economy – and a brief opening of Maurice Williams’ exuberant track “Come On” – makes it clear that the empty house with its father-daughter foundation is just enjoyment. They were not included and these obstacles are common in Nola’s life (following singer-actress Sabrina Carpenter, “Hate You Gi” shows a different side of her talents). Apparently raised by his moving father, Clint (Steven Ogg), who took a liberal approach to disagreeing with the general rules of stability, Nolar goes along with his evolutionary existence, but perhaps unintentionally so, certainly without hints of protest. In that case, especially the well-educated and self-reliant Nola, a car driver like her father, Thabracin could be the spiritual sister to the character of McKenzie, Deborah Granik’s “Lev No Trace”, another absurd movie for those who live in the high marks of American civilization.

Launched in Select Drive-ins on June 12 (and available in the June 16 VOD), Simon-Kennedy’s relatively more mainstream film is not as deep as Granick’s philosophical rehearsal to challenge capitalist institutions – not as destructive as Andrew Hye’s “Lynn” on On. Yet a similarly critical American survey looks through the eyes of a respected homeless teenager, yet, “A Brief History of the Long Road” emphatically shows that it relies on the same social inquiry into class, financial insecurity, and the idea of ​​having one’s own family with homosexuals.

For a while, these ideas made a baby feel damp by lowering the water, as Nola and Clint move from one place to another without any worries, take advantage of abandoned properties, achieve what they can (sometimes, in the direction of petty theft) and Hold a movie or two when the opportunity arises. But once the tragedy struck and Nolar suddenly found himself with nothing but his own broken motor-house, Simon-Kennedy’s social and political priorities sank at once.

Still, the filmmakers prefer to keep the film quite calm and light on its feet without big dramatic spikes. Throughout, an array of supportive players walks gently through Nola’s life, and captures the great, sun-baked New Mexico Vistas in Kylin Yatsko’s Pacific Cinematography. But that apparent weightlessness doesn’t come at the expense of respect and reality with gratitude. Simon-Kennedy is wary of the homeless Knoller not having the courage to deal with sugar cane or thrilling situations because he is desperately looking for his mother in Albuquerque – luckily spreading the unsafe situation, having dinner in unintentional situations, when there is no alternative. , Etc. Along the way, Rusty Schumer’s good Samaritan marquee only opened his door to Nola, only to later reveal himself as a devout religious fanatic. Then almost miraculously, Miguel, the owner of Danny Trejo’s good-natured auto body shop, takes the young woman under his protective wings, gives Nola a job, for which he provides her with a place to crash and fix her van in return.

While Nola’s biological mother Cheryl (Maggie Schiff) is not genuinely interested in fatherhood, the nomadic film has given some direction, hardly strengthening the emotional power of the story. Similarly, the picture lacks something more than a random female friendship with a local girl while staying in Miguel’s garage. Still, there is enough substance here to move forward through the slight twists and turns of the “Short History of the Long Road.” After all, it’s the carpenter’s enhanced performance and the air of wisdom that binds the screen to a dazzling relative quality that’s hard to turn away.