The last person Chloe wanted to see darken her doorstep was her estranged father in Samantha Davidson Green’s Thrasher Road. It’s a cross-country drama of a father and daughter and not falling into the same mistakes from one generation to the next.
In the opening moments of Thrasher Road, we meet a pregnant Chloe (Allison Brown) and her musician boyfriend Hank (Joe Rogers). I suppose being a songwriter/musician, Hank is prone to overthinking his predicament and cowardly skips out on Chloe and his unborn child.
“…prone to overthinking his predicament and cowardly skips out on Chloe and his unborn child.”
Alone, Chloe finds being pregnant and paying rent are not that easy. Threatened with eviction, she packs her belongings and begins a cross-country trip to her mother’s home on the East Coast. Along the way, she meets good-hearted people to help with her journey. But even that is not enough, as Chloe is involved in a highway accident with a semi-truck and is in no condition to finish the trip.
Chloe’s mother, Sheila (Darby Hiebert), insist on flying out and helping her, but she’ll lose her job if she leaves. The only person who can help is Chloe’s father, Mac (Christian Kohn). Chloe and Mac are not on speaking terms as Mac ran out on the family when she was young, and to make matters worse, Mac winds up marrying Chloe’s best friend from high school, Amber (Michelle Maynard Carlson).
You can almost predict what happens next. There’s a door slam, fight in the car over music, one person needing the other’s particular skill set (e.g., fixing a car). It all leads to a moment when the sins of the past are laid bare, and it changes everything for the better(?).
"…a fantastic story of family and forgiveness."
Dave and I have an agreement when it comes to movies. If I pick it, he is free to leave after twenty minutes if he doesn’t like it, and vice versa. For this movie, neither one of us budged; both of us sat there entranced, not wanting it to end.
The movie is touching without being maudlin. It conveys a message that anyone who’s experienced loss—and redemption—can relate to. You’ll find the themes linger long after the closing credits.
Dave and I agree this is one of the best, if not THE best film, we’ve seen this year. Do yourself a favor and see this remarkable movie.
Wonderful, real, and uplifing “Thrasher Road” leads you to the acknowledge that things are not always as we percieve, it is never too late, and forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves. Christian Kohn’s performance as Mac tied it all together. Thank you Samantha Davidson Green–We want more!