For a great portion of Cole Webley’s characteristic directorial debut, “Omaha,” we stay as at midnight about what’s occurring because the pair of plucky child stars (Molly Belle Wright and Wyatt Solis) who function two members of the tight-knit household trio at its middle. That’s a characteristic, not a bug, as Robert Machoian’s screenplay could also be regular in doling out info and intelligent in what it obscures, however these selections put the viewers on even keel with the center of this heartbreaking household drama.
It’s early morning after we meet them: Dad (John Magaro), Ella (Wright), and Charlie (Solis). They’re occurring a visit, however solely Dad is aware of that, and when he fastidiously plucks his children out of their heat beds and packs them into the automotive, it’s onerous to think about he’s doing it in service to a visit to Disneyland or wherever else heat or enjoyable. “Fake that there’s a hearth,” he tells his eldest, the wise-beyond-her-years Ella, as she dithers over what to pack.
And whereas there may not be an precise hearth raging, a tragedy has already torn via this household that took a beloved spouse and mom and left destruction in its wake. And but, as Dad (we solely be taught his identify later), Ella, fun-loving Charlie, and household canine Rex take to the air — away from a furnished residence with eviction notices on its door, away from a apprehensive sheriff’s deputy standing watch from the road, to a spot the place a very powerful factor they will have is one another and a slim packet of significant paperwork — there’s nonetheless a way of journey to what may come subsequent.
A part of that is because of Magaro’s efficiency that teeters between moments of profound grief and a hard-won want to point out his children a great time. As they slip via roadside fuel stations, he pauses for quick meals, ice cream, kite-flying, and extra, all set in opposition to the starkly stunning American West. (A scene wherein the children and Rex run across the salt flats of Utah is lensed so superbly by cinematographer Paul Meyers, it’s prone to deliver a tear to anybody’s eyes.)
Whereas Magaro’s efficiency anchors the movie, robust turns from each Wright and Solis give added depth. So too does Webley and Machoian’s apparent curiosity of their younger characters’ views and expertise; “Omaha” is commonly not simply seen, however felt via their eyes. That additionally means a slow-growing nervousness takes root, significantly for the observant Ella, and turns into almost not possible to shake, regardless of how a lot enjoyable the household may expertise in giddy bursts.
It doesn’t assist that Dad performs not solely the journey’s function near the vest, but additionally its very vacation spot. Ultimately, he acquiesces to the children’ questions (nicely, principally Ella’s) and lets slip: They’re going to Nebraska. That the placement doesn’t ring any bells — no “Oh, the place Mommy was from!” or “That’s the place Granny and Pop Pop reside!” — ought to elevate the alarm. And whereas we ultimately be taught why Omaha, the lingering query of why Nebraska hangs over the movie’s remaining act.
That’s, after all, the movie’s most wrenching portion as Machoian’s script drives towards some predictable however highly effective revelations. Webley’s delicate directing gives a certain hand for a lot of the movie, guiding us via tonal shifts and lingering questions. That’s why it’s so odd, and grating, that the movie concludes because it does. Its narrative storytelling ends on a robust observe, capped with a stirring Magaro efficiency in a movie crammed with good selections, however a collection of finish title playing cards that blithely clarify why Nebraska really feel each pointless and judgmental. It’s a wild left flip for a movie that works greatest when it stays the course, and will have carried out simply that till it reached its remaining vacation spot.
Grade: B
“Omaha” premiered on the 2025 Sundance Movie Competition. It’s at present in search of U.S. distribution.
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