And then a sudden tragedy pulls them apart forever, and a terrified Nola must strike out on her own. It may sound romantic, but it’s also claustrophobic, and as Clint brusquely gets up in the middle of a movie (that’s how short his attention span is) and Nola gazes off at a pack of “normal” teenage girls, it’s clear that the divide is deepening between them. Without a formal education, Nola has still thrived, eagerly devouring all sorts of books, though her father’s resistance to settling down means she’s never had her own library card, instead filching textbooks when she’s able. Nola’s mom is long gone - as Clint puts, “she zigged, and we zagged” - and is only referred to as “Cheryl,” and only in stilted conversation. Their entire life is each other and their trusty Westfalia van, which ably carries them on their many journeys (for most of the film, those trips are confined to the stunning American Southwest). Nola and Clint have been on the road so long that teenage Nola can’t even remember a home without wheels. 'Last Flight Home' Review: A Powerful Case for the Right to DieĮarly Best Picture Prospects Include 'Top Gun: Maverick' and 'The Fabelmans' 'Luckiest Girl Alive' Review: Mila Kunis Leads Shaky Assault Survivor Story While Simon-Kennedy’s characters occasionally avoids the cliches of similar movies, nothing about the film’s plotting surprises, as Nola aimlessly drives in search of what eventually amounts to a found family. In Ani Simon-Kennedy’s pleasant, if predictable “ The Short History of the Long Road,” the cracks between what Nola ( Sabrina Carpenter) and Clint (Steven Ogg) want are showing long before they’re blown wide open.Ī meandering coming of age tale that quite literally pushes off into unexpected diversions, “The Short History of the Long Road” doesn’t blaze new trails, but it does provide a platform for Carpenter’s evolving performance and Simon-Kennedy’s skilled eye. It’s not a bad life (and it’s only partially the product of Clint’s low-simmering disdain for traditional ways of being mostly, he just seems to enjoy it), but Nola is beginning to expect that there might be more out there for her. And not just moving from town to town, but state to state, criss-crossing the country alongside her beloved father Clint, barely staying in one place long enough for a sit-down meal. Nola has spent her entire young life on the road.
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