This is really as Indie a film as you can get. Jim Cummings comes to the big screen in his directorial debut. But Jim Cummings is not only the director, but he is also the writer, main star, and also does the musical score and the visual effects. Based off of a short that he had written (also named Thunder Road), which was composed of a thirteen-minute one-shot take of a funeral scene that used the song Thunder Road by Bruce Springsteen.
Interestingly, the scene has been reshot for the full-length theatrical version of the story and serves as the starting point of the film, but Cummings was unable to get permission to use the song, so the performance is done bare of any music, and ends up making it much more poignant.
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| Photo owner: Stephanie Franzos |
Marketed as a comedy-drama, I think the appeal will really depend on your mindset and experiences. The comedy is not so much slapstick over-the-top humour but instead based on cringe and awkwardness brought on by poor social skills, dyslexia, and other mental difficulties. This gives the humour a dark edge that will be polarizing for audiences. Personally, it came across as sad, not funny, and that has a strong effect on how I view the film.
Simply put, Thunder Road follows Jim Arnaud (Jim Cummings), a police officer grieving for his recently passed mother, going through a divorce, and facing a custody battle for his daughter. There is no big driving force that controls the pacing of the film. Instead, it simply follows Jim around as he slowly unravels in more and more hilarious/tragic ways.
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| Photo owner: Stephanie Franzos |
The cinematography is rather understated, using slow zooms and pans, alongside more active backgrounds to give the illusion of a more energetic film. The real strength of the film is in its long takes. Combine this with Cummings portrayal of his character and it almost feels like live theatre. No rapid edits from multiple cameras; a near static scene that plays through from start to finish. Where the editing does fall down, is when time passes. There are moments where time is clearly meant to have passed, but there is no clear indication of how much time has passed. All we know is that we are at some point in the future, compared to the previous screen by looking at the change in skill levels, or by what Jim is or isn't allowed to do. Little things like that can end up throwing the audience off temporarily.
While Cummings character is a police officer, the role of the police is rather underutilised. Allowing a greater depth in the cast with some differing perspectives, it really feels more like a cohesive film during those sections of the story. I would have loved to see more of that, but it would have involved moving slightly away from a Jim-centric focus that Thunder Road currently has.
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| Photo owner: Stephanie Franzos |
This film was not for me. While I enjoy dry, dark humour it felt more like laughing "at" someone rather than laughing "with" them, and that tells you a lot about the strength of Cummings portrayal or his protagonist. It made me uncomfortable watching this man being taken down because of things outside of his control. For those that enjoy a good indie drama, this will certainly appeal, but for that that prefer a faster pace with a more positive vibe, this is not for you.