Ep. 11: Omaha Review + Interview: A Quiet Road Trip That Hits Hard

We caught an early screening of Omaha and it’s one of those films that doesn’t hit all at once… it slowly settles in, and then stays with you.

In this episode, we break down:

•  The film’s “show, don’t tell” storytelling 
•  John Magaro’s deeply restrained performance and why it works 
•  The emotional impact of the final act 
•  The realism of the sibling dynamic and child performances 

We also sit down with Molly Bell Wright, who plays Ella, to talk about stepping into such a mature role, working alongside younger actors, and how she approached the emotional weight of the story.

This is a quiet, grounded indie that won’t work for everyone, but if it connects, it really connects.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

What's going on, guys? Welcome to another episode of the Cinephile Mind. I'm joined with Jack today. Both of us just saw a pre-screening for a little movie called Omaha, directed by Cole Webley and starring John McGarrow and Molly Bell Wright. As a brief overview, Omaha is a movie about a father who takes his two children one morning on a road trip across the American West, and the truth behind this road trip is slowly unveiled as we follow these characters through the through the road trip. I think we both really like this movie. Jack, I'll lob it over to you to start talking about just how this movie makes you feel.

SPEAKER_04 0:39

I mean it's a movie where definitely at the end you your face is kind of covered in tears. But I I think what's what's great about it is it's it doesn't feel like that throughout the whole thing. There's still a lot of because you know it still is just a family road trip movie. You you kind of through John McGraw's character, the dad, you you feel something looming, and it that's kind of carries the tension throughout. But he's also trying to do what's best for his kids in a way while doing something that apprehensible, yeah. But I mean, like the like the the zoo scene flying kites, like there there were so many little moments of joy that I think made it beautiful, but also made the ending that much uh harsher.

SPEAKER_00 1:27

Yeah, I mean this is a cry-born movie a little bit towards the end, but it is also that guy, dude.

SPEAKER_03 1:36

We've been talking all week about I know.

SPEAKER_00 1:38

I'm I'm giving a uh disclaimer that is it is a sad movie for anyone who's gonna go check this out. But it is also like just a really successful period piece of the the mid-2000s. I just get blasted to the past, like watching these little kids like play their Nintendo DS on the road.

SPEAKER_04 2:00

Yeah, I think I think now that we're starting to see period pieces that are just 2008's pretty pretty wild. I think that's also why I I was getting annoyed by the you know the grief porn commenters, and it's because like well, this was a this was a true event, you know. Spoiler here in 2008, Nebraska was the first state to introduce safe haven laws allowing parents to abandon their children, and before adding the fine print that it's for babies, 36 children were dropped off at hospitals around Nebraska, driven from across the country, and none of them were babies, and so that's kind of the nuke that's that you're you're hit with at the end.

SPEAKER_00 2:49

This movie does like show not tell really well. Like there is never I kept thinking there was gonna be like a flashback scene at the end where it's like like oh I'm watching like my wife, like why is John Megaro struggling so much? Like instead of just like doing a flashback where it's like, oh, I'm so sad that like I'm a single parent now, I'm really broke, just like going having to go through these scenes where like we're at the grocery store and we're like, Do I have enough money on my EBT card for this? Or just like classic stuff where it's like I gotta take stuff off the cash register to make sure I can fit it into my my budget at the time. You really get to see how he's struggling with poverty with his depression, just watching these characters interact and you know how they're acting at each of these stops. It is a good good interpretation of like what poverty feels like. It is so hopeless, um, it feels terrible, and you're just constantly like I can't do anything. And it's really sad that that like he clearly like really cares about his children, especially given the ending when he's talking with the nurse. If he had the means, there's almost no shot that that he would surrender these children.

SPEAKER_04 4:05

I agree with the movie being good at showing, not telling, but the Sundance Crowd, that was one of the biggest criticisms coming out of it, and why it was being labeled as grief-born, is because it's it's just purely manipulating your emotions, and people kept labeling something like Kelly Reichhart's 2008 film Wendy and Lucy as a movie where you're actually seeing this character why they are getting deeper into homelessness and and experiencing those issues. But I I think I so I so I thought a lot about that is is were we being manipulated throughout this film? But I think I think it is more about how John's character he doesn't want to be doing this, it's kind of like a last resort thing that he made on a whim, you know, he's he's getting evicted, and it's like in a way, the the law that got introduced is a way out for him, and and that's not an easy decision for the character, which is where you know the tone shifts between him wanting to give his kids a beautiful life, and then also kind of dissociating and becoming distant as he thinks about why they're on this road trip. I just thought it was really powerful.

SPEAKER_00 5:13

In a movie like this, this is like the climax of a person's story almost. Like, we don't does it really matter like why? Like there's easily a plot they could cook up where it's like, oh, his wife died, and now he's like stuck with like medical bills from taking care of her or something, but like does it really matter? Like he is at a dead end. He can't he can't even afford like a cup of coffee.

SPEAKER_04 5:36

Yeah, but the story's about the road trip that happened for these families who who took this who made this decision. It's it's not necessarily about the politics of the time or or what led up to that. I I think and I think that's why you know the it was only I think only 80 minutes, but it did feel like a good runtime because it's pretty much all spent on the road and you're not you're not trying to squeeze in the larger themes, but I could see why you know someone might be less interested, especially if you're going to you know it's it's kind of that classic sundance, sundance sadness, amazing, dreamy cinematography. Kevin Morby.

SPEAKER_00 6:14

Yeah. You're gonna have to explain that to people.

SPEAKER_04 6:19

Kevin Morby singing Bill Faye. Just but yeah, I mean it's currently rated 7.3 in IMDB, it's definitely being received well. John Mugaro and Molly write phenomenal performances.

SPEAKER_00 6:31

Yeah. I mean, look, we should definitely talk about the child actors because they are probably the most important part of the movie, and it's also something that is very easy to screw up having child actors if you're not using them in the right hands. You can easily get a performance that is just terrible. Ella is just this like completely stoic classic depiction of an older sibling that's been forced to grow up way too quickly, forced to become essentially the adult in the relationship with John is pretty checked out during the entire movie when she's tasked with taking care of her brother who's only six years old, and the little brother Charlie White Solis is the actor portraying him, is also just like the perfect little boy character in this movie. He is just like a stream of chaotic energy, you know, blabbering, just classic little boy stuff, talking about poop and pee, um asking a hundred questions a second, you know, running around the gas station, like touching everything you can get his hands on. My understanding is that a lot of that of his role is just kind of unscripted improvisation, which just makes it so realistic, the character he plays.

SPEAKER_04 7:44

Yeah, and I I think Ella throughout like she's not questioning it, like she she's only I think 10 in the movie, but it's like when they have to start the car and they have to push it. I found those scenes really like she would just get out and start pushing the car. Uh so yeah, I think the kids made it. I thought, yeah, it's incredible casting because really just you have three characters, and so it's like if if they're not if they if that doesn't feel like a family, then the movie doesn't work.

SPEAKER_00 8:10

Yeah, I mean this is three three characters and extras, the movie. That's basically it. There's maybe there's maybe like one nurse character at the end, and that's let's say this whole movie is hinged on these performances, and they're good. They're very good, all of them. The brother sister dynamic is so real to me, it's insane.

SPEAKER_04 8:32

Yeah, I mean, yeah, I've Hunter's older sibling, I have an older sister, so I think Yeah, we're different ends of the spectrum here on this.

SPEAKER_00 8:40

I know. I mean, I was just like getting upset during this movie just because like when I grew up, uh my dad was a pilot, he was gone a lot, and I had two younger siblings, very similar feelings, I think, where you're just like, I am not a second parent, my parents didn't burden me as like John Megaro in this movie. But you do have to act a lot older than your age at that time.

SPEAKER_04 9:08

It's like no one's no one's fault, too. Like it's it's the parent for the older sibling, it's the parents' first time rearing a child, and so it's also and it's like what are your parents not gonna go to work? Yeah, yeah, they're figuring it out, but it's just that that older sibling maturing a little faster, and then yeah, I think as the younger sibling, I was just kind of doing whatever I cared to do.

SPEAKER_00 9:30

Uh the younger siblings do get a little bit of privilege and like in a little shielding from some of the dramatic stuff. I I'm sure I don't even know if it was intentional with Molly's character, but you can kind of feel this frustration where like she is forced to be much older than she is when she's at an age where she should just be playing Mario on the DS and clocked out, going to school and stuff. But she is forced to be older, but also is not privy to the information that that like an actual adult would get. So like it's obviously none of this stuff is being communicated with her, like how her dad's feeling, because it would directly conflict with what John Megaro is doing. But those are really powerful scenes to me, stuff where like she's her character is so intelligent and adult at this point. She can see her dad having to, you know, budget his groceries, or you can see him freaking out while she's sitting in the car or something watching him, and she knows something is wrong, but isn't there yet, but like emotionally or maturity-wise.

SPEAKER_04 10:42

It's like that scene where Wyatt goes, I Charlie goes, I think we're going to Disneyland, and Ella's looking at the Social Security cards, and she concludes, I think we're moving, but like her face is carrying a lot more like nerves and anxiety. And whereas Charlie's, I think, just playing with his toy cars.

SPEAKER_00 11:02

Uh yeah, it's the same feeling, like almost like when a puppy sees you packing for vacation, where it's like, I don't understand what's happening, but it this is bad. Something is wrong, and I don't like it, but I don't I'm I just I'm not there yet to where I know exactly what's happening. And it's your dad. You don't you you typically you're like my parent when you're that young can't do anything wrong to me. Just makes it all more tragic. Jack, if you would rate this movie, where would you put it?

SPEAKER_04 11:34

I'm sitting at a saw I like letter, I like I like us doing letter grid. So I'm I'm gonna go with a um I'm gonna go with a B plus. I just thought it was it was shot beautifully, it it was it was written really well, acted really great. You're not left wanting too much more from it, but it's it's just it's just a really bittersweet road movie where you you know you you learn something new and it's like a contemporary period piece. Um so I just think it's a cool, cool festival movie coming out this year. I mean, yeah, I hope more people see it. But yeah, what's what's your rating?

SPEAKER_00 12:06

Yeah, I'm I think I'm also sitting on a B plus, probably much closer to an A. I'd probably give it an A. I I can't think of a lot. Maybe an A minus, yeah. I I I've struggled to think of a lot that I don't like about this movie, but I know this movie also is not gonna be for everybody. It's quite a quiet, kind of solemn movie that's not there's no big plot point and there's no catharsis.

SPEAKER_04 12:30

I love this movie to see the the wider audience. Yeah, what's the speed of it? 7.3 feels pretty strong so far. I think like 3.8 on letterbox. So definitely worth seeing if it comes to a theater near you. I think it's premiering in New York on the 24th, and then it will start rolling out nationwide in May. So definitely keep an eye on your local theaters for it. It's it's definitely definitely worth checking out.

SPEAKER_00 12:54

Yeah, this is a perfect mid small budget movie. It's awesome. It's only gonna take 80 minutes of your time, and it's a really good depiction of social issues growing up, childhood. It's it's kind of a sad little miss sunshine type movie. But you know, don't be expecting some type of catharsis or insane climax from this movie. It is very down to earth.

SPEAKER_04 13:16

It's a road trip.

SPEAKER_00 13:17

It's a road trip, and it's a realistic road trip with all the the nitty-gritty in between. A nice surprise for us as well after watching this movie is we did get to set some time aside and talk with Molly Bell Wright, who was playing Ella in the movie. It was a great interview. We had a lot of fun talking to her. So if you are interested in that, please go and watch that. She is incredibly intelligent and has a lot to say about the movie and has a great career ahead of her. So go see what she has to say about being a child actor in a very sad movie.

SPEAKER_04 13:47

All right, today we are very excited to be joined by Molly Bell Wright, one of the standout young actors of the year, and I think a real glimpse at the next generation of film talent. In her new film, Omaha, we follow a father who wakes his two children early one morning and takes them on a road trip across the American West as the truth behind the journey slowly comes into focus. Molly gives a performance that is both quiet and observant. It's the kind of role where so much is communicated without over-explaining. The film officially opens in theaters on April 24th. Molly, thank you so much for being here. How are you doing?

SPEAKER_01 14:21

Thank you. Thanks for having me. How are you doing? I'm doing great.

SPEAKER_04 14:25

We're doing good. First off, congratulations again on the film. I know it's been a few years since y'all shot it. Is it exciting to see it finally releasing?

SPEAKER_01 14:33

Thank you so much. Yes, it is really exciting because I know I'll see a clip of it and obviously when we were screening it, and it'll be some scenes that I kind of forgot about. And then I'll look back in my mom's camera role of moments that we had on set that I didn't remember, and I'll just be like, oh, that happened. And I don't have a little flashback, and it'll just be I'll just I'll just remember it and smile because it was such a fun experience.

SPEAKER_00 14:59

I'm really curious that a lot of this movie is about when you're an older sibling, you really are forced to grow up very quickly, and you kind of lose an essence of your childhood during that. I was curious, as an older sibling yourself, working with Wyatt on and offset, in character and out of character, if you're pulling a lot of your real life experiences to portray this as accurately as you did in the movie.

SPEAKER_01 15:24

Yes. I mean, I have a younger brother too, around the same age as Wyatt is, and yeah, I kind of resonated too like like you, because uh yeah, I am an older sibling in real life, and you know, Ella, she kind of as much as she is still a child and she's only nine years old, she's kind of because her mum has passed away, as it is explained. Well, you can kind of tell in the movie, it's not much exposition, but you kind of obviously get the sense there's a picture of her on the wall, she's not in the car with them, she's not in the movie that her mother has passed away, and so kind of Ella kind of becomes, even though it's crazy, she's only little herself, the mum that Charlie doesn't have anymore. And because obviously there's John, but he's really wrapped up in his own emotions and his feelings, and so Ella's kind of always there for Charlie as well, as much as she is still a child in herself.

SPEAKER_00 16:20

Yeah, you kind of you just become a parent at that point, and even though you may not be ready for it, it it just hits you fast.

SPEAKER_04 16:28

Yeah, yeah, and going off of that, I mean, first off, it's it's so cool that you did a TED talk at was it seven uh years old. I I think that that's that's that's so impressive, but I also thought it was incredibly relevant to the character you're playing in the film. Like like Hunter said, kind of being an older sibling, but also as your dad is going through this, did you find yourself on set polling from some of the like topics that you covered in your your TED talk, which was heavily about early childhood as you were were acting in this role?

SPEAKER_01 17:05

Yeah, I mean, that is a really good question. And yes, I mean the TED Talk was when I was seven, it was like one of the first, I think, and the only times I've experienced something like that. It was kind of crazy how it wasn't it was meant to be a short film at first, and then really it was kind of it was kind of just made into a TED talk because we're like, you know, they were like, why not? I mean, it's got all the right things for a TED talk. It was just kind of filmed differently because I had a director and some other things that you wouldn't really have if you were doing a real, like actual TED talk. But then it kind of became one and it kind of happened, but yeah, I did take from that the kind of I mean, Ella is a very mature person and she looks after Charlie really well, and she does the things that kind of a mother would do that, but she's not here because obviously she sadly passed away, and so she does do quite a lot of the things like connect, talk, and play that was mentioned in the TED talk with Charlie, and it did kind of remind me of that because she the way she takes care of Charlie and always connects with him, even though some older siblings find it easy to just ignore them and let them do what they want, and sometimes get annoyed by them. Trust me, I get annoyed by my little brother, who's 30 years old, who's currently playing on his PS5 back there. But, anyways, yeah, I kind of related to that. That's a great question.

SPEAKER_00 18:24

That's cool. I'm 30 and I still get bothered by my little brother all the time, so it doesn't go away, it stays the same. Going off of the little brother thing, why its energy in the movie is so chaotic. And that it's possible there is a level of improvisation with his character, just with his age. I was curious if there was any challenges or if you kind of just had to riff with him, or if a lot of what you were doing with him was scripted.

SPEAKER_01 18:57

Well, some of it was scripted, but at the same time it was improv. And then some of his actions that he would I actually admire him because sometimes he'd be sitting like this, and he'd be running on a toy, and it wouldn't even be in the script, but he'll just be so relaxed. And I think part of it is because he was only six at the time, but he would just he had no sense of that the cameras weren't him, I have to be polished and script ready now. But it was kind of a good thing because in the best possible way, because he would just kind of relax, and it was so real to watch because I saw some of it on the set back, some of the footage, and I'd be like, Wow, that's really natural grounding performance. And the fact that he has that at such a young age, I hope he never loses it because watching it back, you just believe it. And I'm like, that's what my little brother does, because he was a bit younger at the time, but now he's around Wyatt's age in the movie. But he's like, I believe that is like that's happened to me before as an older sibling with my little brother, and so that I kind of tried to emulate that in my own performance and obviously not act crazy and drive cars over my knee, but just you know, be relaxed in the moment and real, which is what Wyatt did every second.

SPEAKER_00 20:05

Yeah, it is all almost too realistic in the movie because it's real in real life, the dynamic you two have, where you know you are kind of shielding him a little bit as the older person, so he can be a little little ditzy, the classic little brother behavior. So it's really incredible that that just comes out so real in the film.

SPEAKER_01 20:27

Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 20:27

Yeah, I'm curious when you watch the finished movie, did anything about your own performance surprise you?

SPEAKER_01 20:34

I mean, I have this thing where I don't really like to watch myself back, and I never really have done. I mean, I will because obviously it's a film premiere, but sometimes, obviously, and I think quite a lot of actors can relate to this, is you will have forgot some of the scenes because it will have been, you know, released like mostly a year or two after you've actually done it. It depends. But you'll kind of forget some of the scenes and some of the experiences. And what I think is good, like about watching myself back, even though sometimes I kind of hate it because like oh, my face is great. It's like you'll kind of forget that that memory, and then it'll come floating back to you, and you'll kind of like get a little deja vu moment, and you'll just be able to kind of relive it, something that you've already done, because most of the time they are such fond experiences, and you'll be like, hey, I forgot about that moment. That's really cool, and you'll be smiling, and then it's really a great experience to watch, you know, your little movie come together because you do it in little bits that are disjointed and little scenes that aren't in the right order, and then you'll see it as a real story, and that's kind of a really cool thing to watch.

SPEAKER_04 21:40

Yeah, and you know, I I have to admit, I did ball my eyes out at the end of this one.

SPEAKER_01 21:44

So did I, and I acted in it, so I know it's it's not an actual true story, even though it's based on one.

SPEAKER_04 21:49

But there's so many sweet moments throughout like the zoo and the salt flats are are two that two that are really prominent. And I thought it was interesting earlier in the interview, you kind of mentioned. Um, your mom having you know some footage just from being on set. And so so yeah, when I was watching, I just thought it was really cool that it's almost like shot as like a dreamy home video. And I think it's cool that that you got to kind of grow up within that in the film as well.

SPEAKER_01 22:19

Yeah, it was a really cool experience. Like I love going to the zoo, I love animals and the salt flats. I mean, I love traveling to different places and seeing different things, and the salt flats were a sight for sore eyes because they actually made my eyes sore because they were that bright. Um, but we had to wear sunglasses in between takes. But yeah, it was definitely really cool. And the way it's filmed as well, the cinematography, it's just I love that. I feel like if I was ever a cameraman, I would never ever ever ever ever have that amount of skill like in my pinky finger, like let alone my whole body. It's really, really, really great. It's just I find it so magical, and it's like that is what someone's life looked like. And as much as it's really sad at the end, it's really bittersweet. But some of the moments in it in which they go to the zoo and the salt flats, which are some of my personal favorites too, are really, really, really magical. Just kind of take you back to you know, childhood memories.

SPEAKER_00 23:17

Yeah, and this movie is almost like a like a period piece of when I grew up being set, you know, around 2008 era. Um more of a goofy question, your character is reading Twilight in this movie.

SPEAKER_01 23:31

I liked it.

SPEAKER_00 23:32

You big reader? You big reader in real life.

SPEAKER_01 23:35

Yeah, I'm a huge reader. I'll read in my spare time, in the time where I probably shouldn't be reading because I have other things to do, and in just any time in general, at night and morning.

SPEAKER_00 23:45

It's probably one of my favorite hobbies because I love stories and acting and just reading and writing in English and anything around that kind of the broad question is is are you reading or watching anything right now that you you wish more people would get their eyes on?

SPEAKER_01 24:01

Um, I'm watching. Well, I just watched Coda. I love that movie, it's so great. I probably have mentioned that every single interview, and I don't know if I'm picking myself or not, because I I mention it in every interview. I'm like, have I already said this in this interview? But yeah, I love that movie. I'm watching a few TV series right now, but I don't really know if I can name any because I'm kind of watching like eight.

SPEAKER_00 24:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:25

Because yeah, I just I start a film, don't finish it, and then I'll start another one, and then I'll well go back to it. I'm like, well, I never finished that. And then I'm reading A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. I think I recently just finished the last book, and please go and read it. It's honestly it had me enthralled. My eyes were glued to the paper, and I read till like 11 p.m. My parents um my parents told me off, but it's okay because the book was worth it. But you should definitely, definitely, definitely like anyone out there who's watching this right now, go read A Good Girl's Guide to Murder because it's just a masterpiece.

SPEAKER_00 25:00

Awesome, great recommendation. Well, that's great.

SPEAKER_04 25:04

Appreciate you taking taking the call with us. We were we're really impressed with your role and really enjoyed the film. So so excited to see it get theatrical release in the upcoming week.

SPEAKER_01 25:14

I'm excited for the premiere and seeing the actual movie, you know, as it's out. I'm really excited.

SPEAKER_00 25:20

Yeah, we're we're we are definitely recommending it, and we're really looking forward to seeing you know how how you progress as your career moves forward. So thanks so much for the film and thank you so much for taking time to talk with us. We really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 25:35

Thank you so much.