"THE SHORT HISTORY OF THE LONG ROAD" // TRIBECA 2019 REVIEW

BY MATEO MORENO

THE SHORT HISTORY OF THE LONG ROAD is a quiet film. It’s a road movie, following a young girl’s journey to be found, to be accepted, while trying to find and accept herself. Sabrina Carpenter, who found fame on the Disney Channel series Girl Meets World and the Disney Channel remake of 1987’s Adventures in Babysitting. She is also well known by younger fans as a singer, releasing three full-length albums. However, she takes a hard-right turn here, muting down her entire persona for a quite and lovely indie film.

Carpenter plays Nola, a young teen who has been living on the road with her father Clint (Steven Ogg). They have been driving across the U.S. in an RV, camping out where they chose, moving where they chose. Her father repairs things for strangers along the way and makes money for the both of them, while Nola often picks through their drawers while they aren’t looking. They are a good team, and it’s clear the love that exists between the two of them. But you do feel the sense that perhaps Clint isn’t always looking out for Nola’s best interests. He’s decided that this is the way they live, so they do.

Tragedy strikes Nola when her father suddenly passes away, and she’s left all along. Desperate for a family of some kind, she heads back out to find her birth mother (Maggie Siff), who she barely remembers at all. And while she searches for her, she runs through several people’s lives, including a woman who seems very kind (Rusty Schwimmer) and a tough on the outside auto mechanic (Danny Trejo) who takes Nola under his wing. Carpenter turns in a winning performance here, understated and honest, and although her character is a lot to deal with, her life has been a bumpy path, so her search for a redemption of any kind feels real. Cinematographer Cailin Yatsko comes up with some beautiful imagery here, leaving you warm with the colors of the open road and the warmth of a young soul trying to find her place on it.

VERDICT: SEE IT

GRADE: B+

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Ani Simon-Kennedy STARRING Sabrina Carpenter, Steven Ogg, Danny Trejo, Maggie Siff, Rusty Schwimmer. Playing as part of the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. For more information: http://www.tribecafilm.com/filmguide/short-history-of-the-long-road-2019

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL 2017 // A REVIEW OF "ONE PERCENT MORE HUMID"

BY DANIELLE BECKMANN

Powerhouse women in film are taking the industry by storm during this time that I have heard quoted as “a new golden age of creativity”. More theatre, film, television and web-series are being produced, created, and executed than ever before. And there is a special surge of women working in these fields that I believe will not only be sustained, but will grow exponentially over time.

In ONE PERCENT MORE HUMID, female writer and director Liz W. Garcia (known for The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) tells the story of childhood friends Iris (a captivatingly raw Juno Temple) and Catherine (a fiercely fragile Julia Garner) and their attempt to have a summer of healing. The young women desire to mend the wounds left open from losing their dear friend in a tragic car accident.The path to healing quickly dissipates as the girls choose unwise relationships that ultimately unravel them even more. The choices Iris and Catherine make are a direct result of situations and circumstances that happened to them. We see the young women try to overcome their pasts to no avail when they both end up in unhealthy relationships with men that perpetuate their dysfunction. Iris begins sleeping with her college advisor (played by a two-faced Alessandro Nivola), and Catherine falls into a sexually aggressive and dangerous relationship with a former crush whose bitterness from their mutual friend’s death eclipses all his social graces.

The film is more real and raw than idealistic. I found myself rooting for the them to break out of their dysfunctional moments, but I couldn't help but relish in their humanity as they failed and learned from their mistakes.

Although One Percent More Humid gives an accurate depiction of young women and their struggles, the story proved to be quite bleak, save for the kernel of hope at the end: the girls’ promise to change. The film ended as it began; with the two best friends swimming in the peaceful lake, a symbol of washing away their transgressions. Although I did not leave the theatre with a pep in my step, I left impressed with the honesty of Garcia’s script and direction.

DANIELLE'S VERDICT: SEE IT

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Liz W. Garcia STARRING Juno Temple, Julia Garner, Alessandro Nivola, Maggie Siff COUNTRY: USA 

The Tribeca Film Festival, running April 19-30th in New York City, offers an assortment of riches when it comes to films. Documentaries, Feature Films, International Films, TV, VR technology, and more. As stated on their website, "Founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in 2001, following the attacks on the World Trade Center, Tribeca has evolved from an annual event to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan to a gathering place for filmmakers, artists, innovators, and the global creative community." The ArtsWire Weekly has been covering the festival since 2013 and this year, Mateo Moreno and Danielle Beckmann will be our voices on from the fest.