‘Rebuilding’ Review: Josh O’Connor Is Heart-Wrenching in a Tender Portrait of Post-Wildfire Loss and Resilience

by

In his home state of Colorado, similar to his captivating first film, “A Love Song“, Max Walker-Silverman once more weaves a powerful visual narrative from the surroundings in “Rebuilding>”. Remarkably, just as before, the story revolves around love, but this time it’s a complex tale of a father and daughter who were estranged due to divorce. The serene countryside is now marred by the aftermath of a destructive wildfire.

After the fire has razed his cherished ranch, a man named Dusty – a nomadic cowboy adrift – is struggling to understand what’s next in his life. This somber tale centers around him, portrayed with subtle grace by Josh O’Connor, whose performance continues an impressive streak and echoes the poignant nuances displayed by the rest of the main cast.

Despite the chilling coincidence of its release, as Los Angeles grapples with devastating wildfires, this film offers depths of richness beyond current events. Walker-Silverman’s appreciation for and insight into the resilient people of the western mountain ranges infuses a fresh, tender glow into the concept of regional cinema. Simultaneously acknowledging outdated stereotypes, the movie challenges conventional notions of rugged individualism, instead proposing a collective ideal of courage and reinvention. This vision offers a means to progress without discarding the past – a crucial perspective when the vestiges of the past have been turned to ash.

Collaborating once more with cinematographer Alfonso Herrera Salcedo, Walker-Silverman skillfully employs a concise visual language, initiating with the foreboding allure of embers amidst a dark sky. Transitioning from this initial scene to a hauntingly barren forest of leafless trees, the film Rebuilding plunges headfirst into Dusty’s purgatory, commencing with the auction of the livestock his scorched land can no longer support. The editing by Jane Rizzo and Ramzi Bashour is exquisitely synchronized with the straightforward, clear-cut cinematography and the story’s frequently silent poignancy. Moreover, the acoustic score by Jake Xerxes Fussell and James Elkington harmoniously complements the dialogue and significant pauses, while the rustic tunes from Dusty’s truck radio add a fitting touch, with a John Prine melody concluding the film in an apt tone.

After wandering for a couple of months following the fire, Dusty finally arrives at a small community of FEMA trailers situated on a secluded piece of land. Being all alone within the confined space of his new dwelling and surrounded by a few boxes containing his belongings, he decides to drive off in his truck to escape the heavy silence. He ends up at a cheerful wooden house in town, where his ex-mother-in-law Bess (Any Madigan) lives, and it’s here that his ex-wife Ruby (Meghann Fahy) is raising their 9-year-old daughter Callie-Rose (Lily LaTorre). The child-friendly yard and cozy interior of the house (thoughtfully designed by Juliana Barreto Barreto) provide a comforting contrast to the sudden emptiness that Dusty experiences in his daily life.

Ruby’s expression shows surprise upon seeing him, yet seizes the moment to involve him in parenting matters without explicitly stating it. The storyline subtly reveals that he hasn’t been an active figure in his daughter Callie-Rose’s life for some time. LaTorre, who previously acted alongside Sarah Snook in “Run Rabbit Run,” exudes a captivating presence, portraying her character’s insightfulness and the inherited observational skills from her mother. She bluntly tells her father, “Mom says you didn’t try hard enough,” which he accepts graciously despite feeling the criticism. At times, it’s evident that his daughter’s intelligence overwhelms him.

For Callie-Rose, initially reserved, her feelings transform into an enchantment, a silver lining to her father’s misfortune: His daily tasks no longer consume him, freeing up time. The cowboy side of him that once seemed distant is now intriguing and serves as a bonding experience. In one particularly heartwarming moment, he shows her how to saddle his horse, temporarily housed by a fellow rancher (Dwight Mondragon). Dusty’s trailer park lifestyle doesn’t diminish its allure for Callie-Rose. She finds a new companion (Zeilyanna Martinez), a young girl who lost her father in the wildfire, and together they adorn the drab walls of Dusty’s trailer with a constellation of glow-in-the-dark stars, momentarily lifting his gloom with a touch of magic.

Callie-Rose guides her father into becoming part of this fresh community, which he initially views as just a temporary stopover, a minor deviation from the life he’s accustomed to. However, his path isn’t as straightforward as he imagines. A man of few utterances, Dusty comes alive when discussing the restoration of the ranch that has been in his family for four generations. His dream of returning to this cherished place seems to crumble, and his spirit sags, as he listens to the disheartening advice from a bank loan officer (Jefferson Mays).

Initially considering my fellow survivors as nothing more than distant acquaintances, they soon transformed into a makeshift family. We’d share meals and recount tales of the belongings we lost in the fire. Except for Mali, played by Kali Reis from ‘True Detective’, most of these characters were portrayed by newcomers to the screen, including Binky Griptite, a talented musician. Despite their brief moments in the limelight, each character served as a firm, steadfast counterpoint to the stereotype of uniform rural America, often perpetuated by Hollywood. Similarly, another film selected for Sundance this year, ‘East of Wall’, also challenges such clichés, painting a diverse picture of the American West.

In my perspective, Dusty’s latest neighbors are quite diverse and interesting. There’s a loving lesbian duo, Nancy Morlan and Kathy Rose, a vibrant biracial couple, Biptite and Jeanine London, a friendly neighborhood plumber named David Bright, and an enigmatic figure, Christopher Young, who seems to have a deep connection with nature. They all contribute to the overall picture of compassion and fortitude within our community. However, it appears that Ruby’s partner, Robbie, portrayed by Sam Engbring, doesn’t get much screen time in this narrative, which is somewhat noticeable.

Among his fellow FEMA residents, Dusty initially comes across as a somewhat dejected, oversized child. He leans slightly forward to reduce his imposing stature, keeps his previously busy hands tucked away in his jeans pockets, and even steals the occasional sip from his daughter’s juice box. However, beneath this youthful appearance lies a concern for his legacy and a deep understanding of the life he’s been given – a challenging one, as evidenced by the years on his parents’ tombstones in the family graveyard.

As a gamer, when I sat down with my family to piece together our family tree one evening, it wasn’t just about tracing lines back through generations – it was about connecting the dots that bound us together by love. With names and photos scattered across the table, the silence spoke louder than words, carrying a sense of history, heritage, and connection that was truly touching.

Fahy brings a unique, grounded elegance to her character, which makes some of the film’s most moving moments even more impactful. The language she uses is straightforward, mirroring the immense emotions portrayed. Similarly, Madigan’s understated approach sets the stage for the drama in such a skillfully subtle way that it feels almost magical.

Or:

Fahy imbues her unconventional character with a natural earthiness that makes some of the film’s most poignant scenes all the more powerful. Her dialogue is simple, reflecting the immense feelings she conveys. In the same way, Madigan’s low-key performance builds the foundation for the drama in such a subtle and masterful manner that it seems almost like a clever trick.

Initially, one might consider the part of Dusty to be a challenging fit for shapeshifter O’Connor, an actor who has demonstrated remarkable adaptability in just a few years. Starting with his breakout role in “God’s Own Country” and his standout performance on “The Crown,” he traversed various landscapes, including “Mothering Sunday,” “La Chimera,” and “Challengers.” However, from the first scene to the last, O’Connor is captivating, deeply embodying the character’s distress and bewilderment, as well as his inherent optimism.

In the heartfelt film titled “Rebuilding”, every character exudes sincerity, honesty, and compassion without any exaggeration. Even the shy romance between Dusty and Callie-Rose, which drives the narrative, is handled subtly. As this understated movie progresses, there might be instances where you yearn for more conflict or intensity, much like the zest added to Madigan’s character’s scrambled eggs for her granddaughter. However, Walker-Silverman is a director who shuns traditional narrative structures, and interpreting calmness as peace or simplicity would be misleading. Instead, there’s a deeper, richer emotional complexity at work that culminates in a breathtaking display of openheartedness. At times, what appears to be a minor incident can mask a hidden magic, the genesis of an astonishing new cosmic pattern.

Read More

2025-01-27 03:26