Omaha

by Mike McGranaghan

Omaha is a perfect example of the Nothing Happens Movie. Although the name might sound negative, it doesn’t have to be. In a bad Nothing Happens Movie, nothing happens. In a good Nothing Happens Movie, nothing happens on the surface but a lot goes on underneath. I’m fudging slightly here, as something significant does occur in the third act. It only works, though, because we’re asked to scrutinize the main character for more than an hour leading up to that.

An unnamed widower (John Magaro) is forced to vacate the home where he’s been living with his two children. He puts 9-year-old daughter Ella (Molly Belle Wright), 6-year-old son Charlie (Wyatt Solis), and their pet dog into his beat-up car. The kids don’t know where they’re going or why. He only tells them they’re headed for Nebraska.

The film has lots of shots of that car driving through beautiful scenery. It quickly becomes obvious that the dad is broke. He valiantly tries to hide that fact. Ella and Charlie make the most of a curious situation, swimming in dingy hotel pools, dancing in the vehicle’s headlights during a rest stop, and getting ice cream.

Two things are happening simultaneously. Omaha is acting as a testament to the resilience of children and also showing Dad’s anguish over his lack of money. We surmise his status is extremely dire. Watching him try to keep things as normal as possible for his children while making painful sacrifices - like not eating when he can’t afford lunch for everybody - proves very dramatic. You ache for this family.

Director Cole Webley brings an ultra-realistic vibe to the movie, shooting in natural locations and taking pains to convey the atmosphere of breathtaking landscapes and Omaha’s more run-down neighborhoods. This isn’t just a film you watch, it’s one you feel in your bones. Naturalistic performances from Magaro, Wright, and Solis provide a crucial “fly on the wall” quality.

About that third act: Omaha is dealing with something very specific, but you don’t know exactly what until the end. Once you find out, the story takes on a whole new dimension that’s devastating. The implications are a powerful statement about poverty in the United States. I can’t honestly say this is a feel-good viewing experience. It is, however, a sensitively made, emotionally gut-wrenching work of art. This movie broke my heart.