Gasoline Rainbow
Nichole Dukes, Nathaly Garcia, Tony Aburto, Micah Bunch and the only black kid in Wiley, Oregon, Makai Garza, grew up together and now that they’ve graduated high school, are determined to get out of town and so set their sights on the Pacific Coast 512 miles away in “Gasoline Rainbow.”
Laura's Review: B+
Trying to ease out of the documentary genre, writer/cinematographer/editor/directors Bill and Turner Ross ("Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets") cast five non-actors and got into a panel van with them, giving them a general outline for one last adventure before having to choose a path into adulthood. The five, with their piercings, tattoos and unnatural hair colors, immediately convince as an unconventional family, their various dysfunctional households in a nowhere town turning them toward each other for stability and support. In many ways, they are reminiscent of the teens of “American Honey,” but the Ross brothers imbue these kids with their own agency.
With Guns ‘n Roses ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ blaring (the kids chose the music and it surprises throughout) and Nichole behind the wheel, the five set out, each getting the occasional opportunity to make a voiceover statement, like the dream of being allowed to be oneself among like-minded weirdos. As evening falls, the group experiences the magic of being on the road with sunsets the colors of sherbet and a line of wild horses passing in the opposite direction on the highway. A stop at a gas station marks their first encounter with a friendly stranger, a blond girl their own age who briefly joins them as a guide to a local desert, an otherworldly landscape that thrills them all.
The following evening they’ll stop to ask a kid walking down the road swinging a 6-pack if all is OK and be invited to a party at ‘the boneyard,’ a gathering of like-minded teens where they’ll hear about the coastal The End of the World party, a serendipitous event, but when they awaken in the morning with fuzzy heads, they’ll discover their van’s been left on cinder blocks, their tires stolen, some awfully bad luck. With no cell reception, they quickly accept their situation and proceed on foot, coming across a truck stop just as they’re petering out. As Tony wolfs down a burger at the counter, Nichole plays pool as her shyer bestie (and romantic partner?), Nathaly, talks to a young woman there, comparing notes as the children of immigrants, Nathaly tearing up revealing that her dad was deported five years prior. Outside again, they’ll connect with two young homeless kids who’ll show them the ropes of illicit train travel, our quintet thrilling to hopping on and off the freight train that takes them to Portland and helpful encounters with increasingly older, yet still simpatico, folk, like Gary, a queer skateboarder, Micah’s understanding cousin Mila and the vegetarian, heavy metal couple he sends them on to who just happen to have a boat.
The brothers utilize both hand held intimacy in tight quarters and long shots capturing the beauty of the changing landscapes, from that expanse of cracked desert to the Pacific Ocean crashing onto shore. They’ll enshrine the five in long cast shadows on dry land and with bioluminescent footprints as they caper down a beach. As we get to know these five teens, it is with admiration for their bravery in confronting the unknown with each other for protection (notably, that tire theft is their only real problem, their lack of money noted without it ever becoming a serious issue). “Gasoline Rainbow” is a paean to the joy of living life to its fullest and embracing what cannot be seen around the bend of the road.
Robin's Review: C+
Mubi released "Gasoline Rainbow" in select theaters on 5/10/24, expanding thereafter. Click here for theaters and play dates. It also begins streaming on their platform on 5/31/24.
