Omaha (2025)
Directed by Cole Webley
I was not ready for this heartbreaker, which just premiered at Sundance, so be warned.
Omaha will be particularly tough for parents, and the quality of the final cut according to Webley was in large part attributable to the fact that he, his screenwriter ('The Killing of Two Lovers' writer-director Robert Machoian), the DP (Paul Meyers), and the lead (Jon Magaro) are all fathers.
I knew in advance from the Sundance write up that this was a story about a father and his two children on a road trip following a family tragedy in stripped down intimacy "that forgoes overly written dialogue and plotting, instead providing space for the deep emotional depths experienced by this family" - a direct quote because I could not have said it better.
Other than the striking cinematography rich in texture and luminosity starting with the first frame and ending with the last, and an engaging musical score from a former member of a rock band, Webley relied on his cast - Magaro, and newcomers Molly Belle Wright (the daughter) and Wyatt Solis (the son) to power the punch. Webley's time spent selecting the children to play these roles was well worth it, and Webley noted in the Q & A that he allowed them a bit of improvisation away from the script.
I was happy to see Magaro in a solo lead role after being one of a few in September 5 (2024), one of three in Past Lives (2023), and completely underutilized in Showing Up (2022). He portrayed his character with so much intensity that I had an actual bpm response to his despondent moments even without the written narrative - his gaze of despair was enough. Wright and Solis were utterly charming, and never once did I feel like they were "acting" - they are naturals.
A caveat: after I watched the film, I read some professional critic reviews that would have completely diminished the impact.
