Omaha
A sleeping child is lifted from his bed before his older sister Ella (Molly Belle Wright, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever") is awakened, her dad (John Magaro, "Cologne 75," "The Bride!") telling her that although it is early, they need to leave quickly and she should take the things she'd think of taking if the house were on fire. It is Ella who will tell her father that there is a 'Sheriff lady' outside, the nine year-old intuiting something is very wrong, but the mood will lighten during a road trip to "Omaha."
Laura's Review: A-
This deceptively simple film about a father obviously short on funds on the road with his two children and their Golden Retriever Rex is brilliantly performed and absolutely devastating. Director Cole Webley makes his feature debut and all the right moves with things both said and unsaid in Robert Machoian's ("The Killing of Two Lovers") screenplay, using the wide open landscape of the American West to present the death of the American Dream in the most heartbreaking terms.
After Martin Harper (Magaro) gets clearance to leave from the sheriff who was there to serve an eviction notice, he is further humiliated by his old beater failing to start, he and Ella coordinating a roll start in what appears to be a practiced routine, one which will be repeated several times throughout their journey. Once on the road, Ella's boisterous younger brother Charlie (Wyatt Solis) speculates that they are headed to Disneyland and Ella perpetuates the mood by slipping a disc into the car's CD player. Soon all three are boogeying to Tommy James & The Shondells' 'Mony Mony.'
Stopping for gas, Martin asks the clerk how far to the Salt Flats and, after misunderstanding the man's $4.99 quote was for one kite, not two, asks for one to be removed. Enlisting Ella to teach Charlie how to fly a kite, Martin will make a phone call, its purpose, a sad but necessary choice, revealed later. The trip will continue to ebb and flow, regular moments like stopping for a burger draining that white envelope Martin has with him while a stop at a nondescript motel offers the kids a swimming pool.
We know this family has lost its wife and mother, medical bills perhaps the cause of their financial straits. That CD Ella plays again later has her mother's voice on it, so perhaps that is why the young girl is drawn to a woman with a baby (Janelle Fore) at another gas station stop, recalling her own mother with Charlie. When Ella tells the woman they're headed to Nebraska, the woman claims the state as her own, suggesting Ella visit the zoo in Omaha, something sure to delight Charlie, and so that becomes Ella's goal.
The family's ultimate destination will be kept under wraps until the film's final moments, the surprise landing like a gut punch. Magaro has never been better than he is here, the actor conveying far more with facial expression than words. We can feel the man's sorrow, but also his love for his children. Molly Belle Wright is emerging as a child actor of uncanny maturity, the slight natural frown formed by inwardly arching eyebrows adding weight to her expression. Solis portrays her opposite, the young boy's perspective only one of enjoying a road trip, the yang to her yin.
The film also features Talia Balsam (TV's 'Mad Men,' "Worth") in a late, pivotal role.
Cinematographer Paul Meyers makes his feature debut with "Omaha," keeping those wide open vistas visually interesting with lower third shots and the travelers intimate with various interior car configurations. He also uses drones to isolate Martin's old Toyota on roads which seem to stretch into endless horizons. Editor Jai Shukla, also making his feature debut, uses cutaways creatively, stunning cloud formations accentuating openness, singular buildings decay and abandonment. Christopher Bear's ("Past Lives") score begins with gentle guitar, gradually interweaving with Peter Albrechtsen's sound design. Welby, Machoian and Magaro end with four little words in a film that runs less than eighty minutes without credits, both belying their outsized impact. "Omaha" is shattering, beautiful and compassionate.
Robin's Review: A-
It is early morning and Dad wakes his two young kids, Ella and Charlie, and loads them into the car for a long distance journey. He tries to make the trip pleasant for his children but neither they, nor we, know what's in store in "Omaha."
I will make this brief. If you see a review for "Omaha," do not read it! If it says "contains spoilers," run do not walk away from it. That said, first-time feature director Cole Webley and veteran scribe Robert Machoian create a family drama that will gradually, but inexorably, break your heart.
As Dad loads the sleepy kids into the car, you know something is very wrong but not what, specifically. There is a tragic loss, it is clear, since Dad travels with just the kids and we make assumptions. It also involves, maybe, an eviction since the cops are at the door as the tiny family leaves their home.
For the kids, it is mostly a fun trip with dad as we learn their destination – Omaha. But, again, we do not know why and we can only guess. Are they going to relatives? Did dad get a job and a place for them to live? There are clues that tell us "no" but the helmer and the scribe give nothing away freely. As such, I, the viewer, invested myself in this little trio of players.
John Magaro gives a riveting performance as a father at the end of his wits, and his money, as he takes his kids on the road. As you watch, at first you consider the guy a loser, but as the story plays out you realize that he is stuck between a rock and a hard place – and loves his kids. Dad builds up your sympathy as you grow to love the desperate little family and want them to have a happily ever after life.
In the case of "Omaha," you better buckle up, it is going to be a bumpy ride! Magaro is perfect as the loving but helpless dad who wants what is best for his kids. Young Molly Belle Wright, as Ella, gives depth to her convincing, intelligent daughter. Brother Charlie (Wyatt Solis), as the little kid in the family, plays a little kid.
If you are smart and are not afraid of a family drama that will be a gut punch, do yourself a favor, follow my earlier advice and see "Omaha." At the very least, it will stay with you for a long time. For me, I will not forget the power of this film and its exposure of a family life that should not be, but is, here in America.
Greenwich Entertainment releases "Omaha" in NY on 4/24/26, expanding in May.
