Paradise Highway, 2022.
Written and Directed by Anna Gutto.
Starring Juliette Binoche, Frank Grillo, Morgan Freeman, Hala Finley, Cameron Monaghan, Veronica Ferres, Christiane Seidel, Jackie Dallas, Tommie Earl Jenkins, and Trayce Malachi.
SYNOPSIS:
A truck driver has been forced to smuggle illicit cargo to save her brother from a deadly prison gang. With FBI operatives hot on her trail, Sally’s conscience is challenged when the final package turns out to be a teenage girl.
There is being cast against type, and then there are positively baffling roles such as French great Juliette Binoche playing a trucker in a straight to VOD/limited theatrical release hybrid thriller. And while I have a hard time buying her character’s sibling relation to Frank Grillo, Juliette Binoche is not phoning in her Paradise Highway performance.
Juliette Binoche is actually quite intense, conflicted, and develops a somewhat moving and believable bond with her teenage co-star Hala Finley, who, factoring in the heavy subject material of child sex trafficking, children with nowhere to go, and a legal system that doesn’t always have their best interests, turns in highly impressive work far beyond her years; she is easily the standout here, and one of the only reasons to consider watching what is ultimately a reasonably routine thriller with a bland supporting cast and obvious plot swerves.
Sally (Binoche) makes an honest living as a truck driver. Writer/director Anna Gutto also establishes a network of women that Sally communicates with via radio on the road, whether for company, gossip, the day-to-day job, or inevitably asking for help during third-act dangers. It’s one of Paradise Highway‘s better concepts, although one that somewhat feels wasted in terms of action and characterization since they don’t physically get involved in the story until the climax. Nevertheless, it points to positive female friendship while suggesting deconstructing the stereotype that the line of work is primarily reserved for men.
Between delivering boxes of cereal and whatnot, Sally’s brother Dennis (Grillo) sets up special package runs from inside prison for additional cash. He is also about to be released but has one last job for his sister that grossly turns out to be transporting a young girl off to a buyer in the middle of nowhere. Like any sane human being, Sally draws the line here until the traffickers threaten their life with Dennis. Reluctantly, Sally takes the girl on the road.
The girl’s name is Leila (the previously mentioned strikingly mature debut from Hala Finley), and it turns out she is brave enough to somewhat take control of the situation, using Sally’s shotgun to fire at the disgusting buyer from the truck. Such a mess forces Sally and Leila on the road and the run from both traffickers and authorities, with opportunities for them to develop a connection discussing their trauma, future expectations, and the hell they find themselves in. Leila doesn’t seem too bothered about murdering a despicable man in self-defense, but the interactions between her and Sally are often more engaging and sincere than not.
But Paradise Highway suffers from Anna Gutto’s decision to focus on a pair of special agents played by Cameron Monaghan and Morgan Freeman, with the latter as a character perpetually dedicated to rescuing those caught up in sex trafficking, especially children. He has been doing it for 50 years. He is meant to offer a wealth of wisdom while relaying to the audience how little is done in the real world about sex trafficking. Still, it’s all cookie-cutter and more message-driven without engaging cat and mouse thrills or characterizations to back it up. The movie also runs almost 2 hours, and it sure feels like it could have been cut down to a leaner 95 minutes or so by focusing on the heart of the story (Sally and Leila).
Once Sally and Dennis are reunited, the third act teases more layers to their connection as siblings from a broken home until an obvious twist derails that in favor of a brief sequence of truck-chasing action (there’s a reaction involving a dress that hurts to process and watch). Paradise Highway clearly has noble intentions but fumbles nearly everything aside from the central performances.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
