Stirring ‘Omaha’ sure to break your heart

     America would be nothing if not for her people, who every Fourth of July proudly celebrate what’s been built through the blood and sweat of millions of little guys toiling night and day to create a better life for them and their loved ones. But does the land we annually fete even belong to us anymore, lost to the grubby little hands of self-serving politicians and their enabling oligarchs? This is the central question at the heart of Cole Webley’s devastating “Omaha,” in which a family in crisis is forced to contemplate what you’ve got when you have nothing left to lose.

     It stars the ubiquitous John Margano, an actor’s actor with the chameleon-like ability to disappear inside every role he’s had the pleasure to play. Yet, he’s never been given the chance to carry a movie all on his own, until now. And, wow, does he make it count! As a recently widowed father who’s about to have his Utah home foreclosed upon, Margano effortlessly assumes the broken posture of a man whose American dream has fallen victim to a heavily rigged economy.

     He, like so many other suckers, bought into the myth, only to be slapped down by a healthcare system that bankrupts countless families forced to choose between saving their homes or saving a loved one. Heck, the floral arrangements left over from his wife’s wake haven’t yet fully wilted when a sheriff’s deputy pulls up to the home he and his two prepubescent children are left to grieve in. But the nameless father in this everyman tale is one step ahead of the wolves at the door.

    The family chariot is already loaded with the essential possessions as dawn breaks, and one by one, he awakens the kids, urging them to collect a handful of their most prized belongings before hopping into a car so disrepaired he never knows if it will even start. Where are we going, asks the precious Ella, a 9-year-old played with depth far beyond her years by the remarkable Molly Belle Wright. “Nebraska,” says Dad in a terse I-don’t-care-to-discuss-it tone.

     You assume Webley and his scribe, Robert Machoian, want us to think the destination is the far-off home of a disgruntled grandparent or judgmental aunt or uncle who will surely dis Dad for failing to keep a roof over his family’s head. But Dad’s perpetually blank stare and sad eyes suggest something much worse is in store. But what is it? And it’s the ensuing intrigue that keeps you glued, searching for clues that just aren’t that easy to extract from a man of so few words and little emotion.

      And why are they stopping along the Salt Flats, with Dad urging the kids and their adorable mutt, Rex, to literally go fly a kite? Clearly, this is not your typical road trip adventure. It’s more like a funeral procession, slowly making its way toward the titular city, the famed starting point of Abe Lincoln’s transcontinental railroad, but now the terminus of a family’s once bright future.

     Sad, I know, but there is also a lightness to the movie that keeps you invested, particularly the resilience of children and their innate ability to easily shrug off loss and disappointment. There’s always something just ahead to distract or entertain them, be it the promise of ice cream, a late-night swim in a motel pool, or a visit to Omaha’s world-class Henry Doorly Zoo.

      Among the tiny ensemble of actors, 6-year-old Wyatt Solis draws the easiest assignment, instructed by Webley to just be himself in his portrayal of the adorably goofy Charlie, and let Magaro and Wright play off his ad-libs. And what a brilliant stroke of genius by Webley, rewarded with some of the most natural, authentic acting you could ever hope to witness. The chemistry between the three actors is so genuine that you fully believe this clan really exists. Which makes the climactic punch to the solar plexus even more painful.

     I will say no more, because the less known about “Omaha,” the better. It builds and builds and builds, but nothing prepares you for the reveal. And when it comes, expect to be reaching for the Kleenex. This film absolutely wrecks you, leaving you to question how a country as wealthy and powerful as the United States could allow something this awful to happen.

      For me, the answer rests in how badly we’ve lost our way, blindly selling our humanity and sense of fairness to the upper one percent, allowing it to run roughshod over an increasingly lopsided distribution of wealth. And there’s no more persuasive call for a reckoning than “Omaha,” a film that, despite a few overly earnest missteps, serves as an incentive to harken back to Howard Beale’s impassioned plea to  throw open the window, “stick your head out, and yell, ‘I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!’”

      Better yet, how about an adult rendition of Ella and Charlie’s favorite game, “Would you rather …” As in, would you rather stand up and fight, or sit passively watching the Musks and the Bezos of the world bleed us dry? In Webley’s wonderfully realized tale, the answer could not be more shatteringly clear.

Movie review

Omaha

Rated: PG-13 for thematic material

Cast: John Magaro, Molly Belle Wright, Wyatt Solis and Talia Balsam

Director: Cole Webley

Writer: Robert Machoian

Runtime: 83 minutes

Where: In theaters April 24 (limited), going wider in May

Grade: A-