Rebuilding, 2025.
Written and Directed by Max Walker-Silverman.
Starring Josh O’Connor, Lily LaTorre, Meghann Fahy, Kali Reis, Amy Madigan, Jefferson Mays, Nancy Morlan, Sam Engbring, Binky Griptite, Eli Malouff, Zeilyanna Martinez, and Jules Reid.
SYNOPSIS:
After wildfires take his ranch, a cowboy named Dusty winds up in a FEMA camp, finding community with others who lost homes, including his daughter and ex-wife.
This might not be surprising, but the title Rebuilding has more than one meaning for writer/director Max Walker-Silverman. In the literal sense, it’s about Oklahoma rancher Dusty (Josh O’Connell, quiet, mousy, vulnerable, hopeless, and feeling like a failure as a partner and father) whose land has been entirely burned down by a wildfire that torched several plots.
Temporarily, he is living in a mobile home FEMA settlement camp surrounded by others, with one difference being that they have lost nearly everything, where, due to being separated from his ex-wife Ruby (Meghann Fahy), he hasn’t lost all of his sentimental possessions and, of course, still has a daughter named Callie-Rose (Lily LaTorre, an impressive performance from any actor, let alone a child). The girl’s grandmother (played by Amy Madigan in a similarly nuanced and emotionally affecting role, even if it succumbs to familiarity) is also present in her life. There is a home to rebuild, but also important connections to mend as these unfortunate circumstances bring Dusty back into their orbit.
However, Dusty has somewhat lost all hope and isn’t sure he even wants to see his daughter anymore. He has no land or home and might have to journey elsewhere to pick up the pieces, leaving Ruby and her new family behind. It would also be accurate to say that Callie-Rose needs her father, but that she is inquisitive, picks up on his emotions, and wants to be around him even though he feels like he has failed them. Occasionally visiting the mobile home, Dusty and Callie-Rose bond with the locals while she gets her schoolwork done; there is no Wi-Fi, so he has to drive her to the nearby library parking lot to connect to an Internet hotspot.
Naturally, this also transitions into a moving story of found community, as there are campfire sessions where everyone (it’s also worth mentioning that all of the supporting players give the richly authentic performances that leads one to believe they aren’t traditional actors but real people who might have gone through this situation), at one point, opens up about what they missed the most that their loss from the fires. Dusty says his piece and also insightfully notes that this makes him think about the things, whether materialistic or not, that he has already forgotten.
It is one of those lines that reverberates throughout the film, as Dusty has realizations of what truly matters and what can never be lost. A family tree school project also helps with that, and makes for another touching scene, even if convenient. Aside from the fact that the bank won’t give Dusty a loan for a new plot of land and that the settlers can’t remain on the land forever (it lasts roughly 2 weeks and is meant to give the individuals enough time to figure out their next steps, which is not nearly enough and comes with other complications for the elderly that are mildly infuriating in which it suggests they are screwed for not having a handle on modern technology), there smartly isn’t much conflict here.
Max Walker-Silverman opts for small, slice-of-life storytelling, prioritizing unity in the wake of natural disasters and never giving up on family or the proud responsibilities of parenthood. Josh O’Connor continues to be a tremendous actor in sad, defeated roles, this time gradually coming toward the light and re-embracing fatherhood. Every character within the settlement comes across as a real person with a past and life worth investing in. Rebuilding poses questions about what makes a home or a family, but it is mainly a gently moving film that emphasizes reconnection and pushing forward, finding everything where it feels like there is nothing.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder
