This American comedy-drama is written and directed by Jim Cummings, and based on his 2016 short film. Cummings also pulled additional duties as composer, co-editor and visual effects artist. The short film won the Sundance Short Film Grand Jury Prize, and the feature followed suit to win the Grand Jury Award at the SXSW Film Festival. An entire article could be dedicated to Cummings and producer Zack Parker’s efforts to self-fund and self-distribute this independent feature. Efforts that paid dividends in France, where the film is playing to high praise and box office returns in 128 of the country’s 160 independent cinemas. And it’s not difficult to see why.
The film starts with police officer Jim Arnaud (Cummings) giving a rather creative and ultimately humiliating eulogy at his mother’s funeral. Those who have seen the short film will recognize this scene, as it is the short film. The film then follows Jim as his personal and professional life unravels as he fails to properly acknowledge and process his grief; how can you create an emotional connection, when your emotions are the one thing you can’t accept? There is something of the quintessential American small town experience on show here but surprisingly presented in a way that feels very European; the style and form of the film pairs quietness and emotional understatement with slapstick comedy.
The script and performances toe a razor-sharp line. The emotional and comedic heart of the film is a series of powerful, single-shot monologues. Any actors in search of new audition monologues may have found a gold mine. Each speech, all performed by Cummings, takes the audience on an incredible journey through the light and dark of this man’s pain, with just enough lightness to keep it watchable without ever sacrificing emotional depth. It is also worth noting that the film never cuts away from these monologues; even as the character talks off-screen to specific people, you are never allowed to look away as the camera slowly pushes in on the performance. This perfectly demonstrates the utter confidence this film has in its style and story. Alongside the collapse of one man’s life is a piercing but near subliminal commentary on the opioid epidemic, toxic masculinity, parenting and police violence. The focus is always on Jim Arnaud, his relationship with his grief and his desperate need to connect with his young daughter, but the film allows other themes to breathe too. A lesser film might have shone a harsh spotlight on one or two and really dug deep. But the slice-of-life style of ‘Thunder Road’ is definitely served better by the almost off-hand, casual inclusion of these themes as ordinary and expected parts of modern life. This allows them to land with emotional weight without ever taking the film into proselytising stagnation. All this considered, it is a testament to the craftsmanship of Cummings that the film can even be described as comedy; though ‘black comedy’ or ‘tragi-comedy’ is certainly more apt. And this is because the comedy is handled spectacularly well. Too little and you likely wouldn’t gain any relief from the unfolding tragedy, too much and it’d stomp all over the emotional resonance of the subject matter. What Cummings delivers is phenomenal, a masterclass in balance; from the near slapstick of the opening eulogy to the subtle false starts in moments of difficult emotion, always providing the perfect amount of levity while adding layers to the characters pain.
‘Enjoyable’ might not be the right word but I highly recommend this film. It premieres at HOME Manchester May 16th with a Q+A afterwards.
Reviewer - Deanna Turnbull
on - 10/5/19
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