A father-daughter road film, writer-director Stephen Ward’s Dust to Malibu, examines the dangers and significance of connection, life’s challenges, and the idea that it is never too late to make amends because there’s always a purpose. After turning his life around from many poor choices, Phil Carroll (Tim Daly) works hard to reconnect with his estranged daughter Jessie Carroll (Alex Sgambati), whom he hasn’t seen in years. Jessie has been in jail for her abusive behavior, which includes toward her partner, Jack Cox (Alexander Pobutsky).
When Phil reaches out to Jessie for an important pilgrimage, he convinces her to join him on a road trip from Missouri to the West Coast to fulfill his late ex-wife’s and Jessie’s mother’s wish for her ashes to be scattered in the Pacific Ocean. Although hesitant and facing great emotional difficulty because of the intense resentment Jessie feels toward her father, who left her mother, her circumstances leave her little choice, so she agrees to go with all her belongings in garbage bags and the clothes on her back.
What starts as an awkward journey filled with unspoken resentment gradually turns—through shared experiences—into acceptance, communication, and fragile understanding. The dark clouds that had been hanging over Jessie and her father, Phil, which had started to clear, suddenly shifted, leaving Jessie feeling angry and betrayed. She then uncovers the true reasons behind her father’s desire to reconnect and finds an unexpected source of inspiration that changes her life.
“A road trip from Missouri to the West Coast to fulfill his late ex-wife’s wish.”
Along their journey, they meet Kate (Shelly Gibson), a one-night stand for Phil, who becomes a friend and a therapist who helps keep Phil and Jessie’s relationship moving forward. Suffering from kleptomania, anger, and emotional trauma, Jessie begins to evolve when she realizes her responsibility in life is no longer about her and that others are involved.
Preconceived notions about relationships and travel, especially along Route 66, fit well in Dust to Malibu. However, Jessie and Phil display a wide range of emotions and memories, including bad behavior, unavailability, making amends, drinking problems, affairs, and relationship pitfalls and disasters, all of which surface within Jessie. She is rough, cunning, and unpredictable, unwilling to discuss things, unlike her estranged father, who is trying to make up for lost time and is doing so fairly quickly. His tolerance for Jessie’s behavior is questionable.
While Dust to Malibu may seem very dramatic, it has its quirks, comedy, and surprises. An engaging country music soundtrack keeps the story straightforward and highlights the journey Jessie and Phil face. As the story progresses and Phil’s situation becomes clearer, Dust to Malibu becomes quite touching and inspiring. Although it can feel slow and somewhat low-energy, since it mainly centers on two people in a car or motel room, the pace shifts just in time for an unexpected ending.
For more information, visit the Dust To Malibu official site.
"…has its quirks, comedy, and surprises."
