THUNDER ROAD
(2018, Cummings)
(2018, Cummings)
"I don't know what I'm doing anymore."
Thunder Road follows Jim Arnaud (Jim Cummings), a police officer in a small town struggling with a number of issues; the potential divorce from his wife, the rejections from his young daughter, and the recent death of his mother, which is what the film starts with and sort of what frames the events of the film, to the point that he feels like he doesn't know what he's doing anymore.
This project started when Cummings released a 2016 short film of the same name, that features Arnaud offering an awkward eulogy at his mother's funeral. The short film, which lasts 13 minutes, is done with a continuous shot. As part of his eulogy, Arnaud tries to awkwardly dance and sing Bruce Springsteen's "Thunder Road", which was one of his mother's favorite songs. It is such an odd scene in how it balances comedy and drama, but somehow it works.
Cummings manages to sustain that same vibe in the feature film, opening with the same funeral scene (with some slight but key differences), but expanding it to see all the issues that are plaguing Jim's life. Despite being a decorated and seemingly respected officer, his life is crumbling around him, leaving him powerless and not sure of what to do. There are also hints at potential mental health issues that, even if not explored at all, are apparently there.
But that is where the film's strength is. As both writer, director, and actor, Cummings succeeds in transmitting those feelings of mental instability, anxiety, insecurity as a parent, frustration, bottled up anger, the uneasiness of things unraveling, the impotence against circumstances and not knowing what to do. Even if I'm not going through all the issues that Jim is, I can certainly identify with a lot of those feelings.
Again, there is skill in how Cummings walks that fine line between drama and comedy, and how he makes us feel for Jim. His direction is confident and purposeful, with a couple of long takes that are not necessarily done for technical flash, but rather to let the emotions of Jim build up. Aside of the opening funeral scene, there is a really good one where Jim has an emotional breakdown on a parking lot.
There are some things that seemed unnecessary, like some exchanges with a young teenager that Jim tries to help stay away from trouble, and other things that I think could've been explored a bit more, especially regarding his wife. But there's a good anchor with Jim's relationship with his young daughter (Kendal Farr) and his friendship with his partner (Nican Robinson). Jim Arnaud might not know what he's doing, but Jim Cummings certainly is.
Grade:
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