The Short History of the Long Road

Nola grew up in a van with her father Clint. There is no house; they move from city to city, sleep in car parks, take temporary work, and attach themselves to no one. Nola knows this life and loves it. Then a disaster happens and she is left alone on the road. She has to get the vehicle repaired, find money, and decide where to go. She finds the city where the mother she never knew lives. Ani Simon-Kennedy neither romanticises nomadic life nor presents it as a catastrophe. The narrative shows Nola's loss not by talking about it but through the tasks she has to do: petrol, repairs, a place to park, food. Sabrina Carpenter plays Nola and Steven Ogg plays her father. Danny Trejo appears as a mechanic. Who it's for: Viewers who like American independent drama, road films, and coming-of-age narratives. Who it's not for: The pace is slow and the plot is thin. The resolution at the end is also too neat.