Katie Holmes, as Rita, and Stefania Owen, as Ruthie, are both excellent in their starring roles here as mother and daughter respectively. with Holmes making her feature film directorial debut as well. This is a dark and gritty drama, at times difficult to watch, as Rita proves to be just an awful mother in so many ways, as she drags Ruthie from town to town, ending one bad relationship with a man only to move onto the next one. Their odyssey comes to at least a temporary halt when Rita's car breaks down and they're forced to establish some roots in a town along the way.
There's really a top notch cast here with Luke Wilson, Richard Kind, Eve Lindley, and Siobhan Fallon all enhancing the film in supporting roles. To note, there's raw and explicit language throughout the movie and some suggestive sexual scenes as well.
Overall, one's rating of this film may hinge on how much the viewer can accept a mother's actions and behavior as part of a dramatic storyline and put one's "judgmental hats" aside. For me, the strong acting, the intensity of the plot elements, and finally the uplifting final parts of the movie made it a fairly decent indie watch.
There's really a top notch cast here with Luke Wilson, Richard Kind, Eve Lindley, and Siobhan Fallon all enhancing the film in supporting roles. To note, there's raw and explicit language throughout the movie and some suggestive sexual scenes as well.
Overall, one's rating of this film may hinge on how much the viewer can accept a mother's actions and behavior as part of a dramatic storyline and put one's "judgmental hats" aside. For me, the strong acting, the intensity of the plot elements, and finally the uplifting final parts of the movie made it a fairly decent indie watch.