I loved this film and it actually made tears well up in my eyes a few times, which rarely, if ever, happens during a film. It was simply a week in the life of Ellie (Imogen Poots) as she arranged her father's funeral and explored her fathers life in the town. One thing I really loved was the trans-guy cowboy, Reno (Mackenzie Davis). There aren't many trans characters in film, especially not transgender guys, so this was a breath of fresh air.
The plot was easy to follow. Estranged familial relation dies, funeral, town-folk relating stories of the deceased, troubled family, and new connections. The characters, albeit clichéd, were interesting and relatable. Amanda, the wife of Ellie's dad, is a drunk having trouble coping. Her son, Jack, is understandably bitter and stressed as he has a lot on his plate with his drunk mother and child to care for. Reno is troubled with small-town bigotry, and a self-indulgent, diabetic mother. And Ellie is a simple girl making peace with her father, who caused her and her brother a lot of pain.
Only one thing about this film kind of bothered me. Ellie spent a lot of her time in town with her new friend Reno, and hardly any with her "step-brother" Jack, but near the end of the film, when she is at the hospital with Jack, they are close to kissing. This felt strange because throughout the film, there was no indication (except a very small bit where Jack's son asks if Ellie is going to stay) that Jack was a love interest. If anything, I felt Reno was more of a love interest than Jack. In the end though, Jack and Ellie didn't become a thing, which I absolutely liked; Too many films that shoehorn love subplots kill the movie for me, but this didn't end like that.
Overall, it was a beautiful film. Really heartwarming, interesting, and real.
The plot was easy to follow. Estranged familial relation dies, funeral, town-folk relating stories of the deceased, troubled family, and new connections. The characters, albeit clichéd, were interesting and relatable. Amanda, the wife of Ellie's dad, is a drunk having trouble coping. Her son, Jack, is understandably bitter and stressed as he has a lot on his plate with his drunk mother and child to care for. Reno is troubled with small-town bigotry, and a self-indulgent, diabetic mother. And Ellie is a simple girl making peace with her father, who caused her and her brother a lot of pain.
Only one thing about this film kind of bothered me. Ellie spent a lot of her time in town with her new friend Reno, and hardly any with her "step-brother" Jack, but near the end of the film, when she is at the hospital with Jack, they are close to kissing. This felt strange because throughout the film, there was no indication (except a very small bit where Jack's son asks if Ellie is going to stay) that Jack was a love interest. If anything, I felt Reno was more of a love interest than Jack. In the end though, Jack and Ellie didn't become a thing, which I absolutely liked; Too many films that shoehorn love subplots kill the movie for me, but this didn't end like that.
Overall, it was a beautiful film. Really heartwarming, interesting, and real.