Every year at Sundance there’s usually one film that seemingly comes out of nowhere, not only managing to resonate with current events, but has folks weighing its chances come awards season. This year that film is Cole Webley’s bleak American masterpiece Omaha. It’s a road trip movie that transpires during the economic collapse of the early 2000s, shortly after the death of a small family’s matriarch. It’s a devastatingly stirring portrait of not only poverty and the unforgiving nature of living paycheck to paycheck in our great country, but the pressures of fatherhood and what’s possible in the complete absence of hope.
We experience the film primarily through the eyes of the children – Ella (Molly Belle Wright, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever), a bright eyed, intelligent 9-year-old and her much younger and inquisitive, yet potty mouthed brother Charlie (Wyatt Solis). They are woken up one morning by their father (John Magaro) and instructed to grab ‘what you would save if the house was on fire’ for an impromptu road trip. There’s a nurturing yet playful demeanor to these opening scenes as he gently rustles them up from their slumber, which is shattered once we discover the sheriff is waiting outside and they are being evicted from their home. It’s also hinted that the father is also dealing with some psychological trauma, before the family is forced to put their small Toyota in neutral and run it down the street to bump-start it on this road trip cross country.
The film then unfolds as the family makes their way across the gorgeously scenic US to Omaha, possibly for a fresh start. Along the way we see a family that obviously cares for one another, creating bittersweet memories along the way that will no doubt stay with them forever. But doing so while the wounds of their loss are still quite fresh and plainly visible. The film masterfully portrays how poverty keeps these emotional wounds from ever truly healing thanks to the lack of stability and anxiety induced by their financial standing. Like a car that could break down at any moment, or as a father not being able to provide food or shelter for his family as we glimpse the ever shrinking wad of singles in his wallet. We also witness how even at 9, Ella is already being tasked with shouldering that overwhelming weight that has completely crushed her father.
This is all thanks to Cole Webley who crafts an assured narrative that sadly feels as American as day old apple pie, paired with a cast, that is a soul shattering joy to watch. John Magaro leads here while spending the film needling a gut wrenching line of falling apart at the seams, while still forging ahead for the sake of his children. It’s no easy task, but he is followed suit by Molly Belle Wright who plays a 9-year-old on the cusp of adulthood, as she struggles with becoming acutely aware of how the world views her because of her family’s financial situation. This all plays out against Wyatt Solis’ Charlie who on the surface appears oblivious, but the trauma has manifested itself in an ugly habit of stealing from every place they visit.
Omaha is a hyper relevant, empathetic and somber snapshot of the American experience, but one that needs to be seen. The deeply moving portrait of poverty and circumstance is both unflinching and matter of fact in its cause and effect on the people who are forced to endure it. It’s a film that will make you question the very fabric of your own being, by putting you in the shoes of a man who has already lost all hope. This coupled with a superb ensemble tasked with bringing this story to life gives the film a heart and soul that will no doubt make this a serious contender in the awards conversation in the months to come. I don’t say this lightly, but I feel like Omaha could be the film that defines 2025 and when you see it, you will know why.
