By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
Several independent movies this year were headed to theaters, but due to the Coronavirus pandemic were not screened. However, many are now enjoying a huge boost thanks to Video on Demand (VOD) viewing.
?The Short History of the Long Road? is another independent coming-of-age drama that is worth seeing. The film from director/screenwriter
Ani Simon-Kennedy (?Days of Gray?) stars Sabrina Carpenter (?The Hate U Give? and TV?s ?Girl Meets World?) as Nola, a cute, precocious teen who really hasn?t had much of a homelife.
Nola?s mother (Maggie Siff, TV?s ?Billions?) left her father Clint (Steven Ogg TV?s ?Snowpiercer?). Or as he says, ?she zigged, and we zagged.? Now Nola lives and travels with her father in a classic Volkswagen camper van that they affectionately call ?The Hulk.?
Clint (Ogg) is a handyman and makes money by doing odd jobs along the way. If they notice a house that?s foreclosed, they enjoy its temporary comfort. Still, Nola wonders what a normal childhood would be like. Her father reminds her that their lifestyle?which includes pillaging trash bins for food and whatever else they may need-- is the best freedom she could possibly have. Nola?s not so sure. She dreams of going to college.
More importantly, she longs to reconnect with her mother. When tragedy strikes Clint, Nola is forced to grow up even faster. She sets out in search of her mom. Her journey takes her to Albuquerque, New Mexico where she forges an unlikely bond with an autobody shop owner (Danny Trejo, TV?s ?My American Family?).
?The Short History of the Long Road? from FilmRise is an insightful and thought-provoking movie about loss and grief that really connects with audiences because of the touching and empowering performance from Sabrina Carpenter.
Check Out This Trailer For
"THE SHORT HISTORY OF THE LONG ROAD"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics? Association (BFCA), The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC), The Alliance Of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
