Independent Film Review – What We Find On The Road

What is it about Americans and road movies? There are a few road films set in the UK but, given that it only takes about fifteen hours to drive from Land’s End to John o’Groats a British road trip is never going to be a marathon excursion. The USA is a much bigger beast though. Land’s End to John o’Groats takes you from the South-Western most point to the North-Eastern most and that is a mere 874 miles. But New York City to San Diego is over three times as far…2,754.9 miles to be precise. 

And while it may be true that in Britain if you travel more than five miles in any direction everybody’s accent changes and they all have different names for the bread rolls the actual climate and landscape doesn’t change that much. But crossing the USA is a different kettle of fish. You go from temperate regions, through tornado prone areas, across deserts, over mountains, and through grasslands. So the couple of weeks it would take you to do a relaxed drive across the continent will have many and varied things to see.

You James Manse’s Kid? 

And all that is before we even start looking at the philosophy of road movies! The metaphorical potential, the narrative flexibility, the cultural significance, and the possibility of character development are all easily shoehorned into the road movie format. And all of those factors are present in What We Find On The Road. But, before we look into those, what is What We Find On The Road all about? In short, TJ (Finn Haney) gets the keys to an old (a 1968 Dodge Polara) car from his estranged father (Ross Partridge). It’s one of those huge convertibles that I’ve only ever seen in films like Thelma & Louise. Unfortunately though, the huge boot is filled with a big metal box welded inside it. 

What’s in the box? No one knows because it’s welded shut. But, while it would be possible to open the box, TJ was asked not to. He was also asked to drive the car across the country to California…whilst not knowing what he’s carrying. He starts off being accompanied by schoolfriend Jake (William Chris Sumpter). They set off from Massachusetts and get as far as Oklahoma (about half way) when a police stop rattles Jake because he realises that there could be anything in the box and, as TJ refuses to look inside it, he doesn’t want to risk being banged up. He contacts his parents and flies home.

You Just Turned 18?

A bit further down the road TJ meets up with Maeve (Katherine Laheen) an Irish woman who is also heading to California to meet up with her sister. They become friends and, when they have to go their separate ways, Maeve gives TJ her contact details in the hope of meeting up again. By now TJ is not far from his father so it won’t be long before they meet up and TJ gets the opportunity to vent. Obviously the final thing is seeing what’s in the box. And what is in the box? A black case…but I’m not going to tell you what’s in the case!

All in all What We Find On The Road is a pleasant enough example of the road genre. There are never any heart thumping, pulse racing moments. There are a couple of opportunities when they could have been slipped in but, frankly, they would have felt intrusive and upset the rhythm of the whole film. Robert Louis Stevenson is alleged to have said that “It is better to travel hopefully, than to arrive” but What We Find On The Road manages to travel well and have a pleasant arrival. 

What We Find On The Road gets a digital release on 18^th November courtesy of Miracle Media.

Independent Film Grade: B+