With Arms Raised follows a rideshare driver, played by Jonathen Wallace, picking up a passenger (Andrew Garrett) for what begins as an ordinary trip through the city. Small talk turns personal as the two realize they’re from the same general area of Chicago. The conversation drifts toward homelessness and crime.
As they continue driving, the passenger grows more outspoken—more anxious, venting about economic decline, government failure, policing, and a city he believes has become unlivable. Both have had loved ones involved in assaults—the driver’s mom on the streets and the passenger’s dad at Wrigley. Their frustration escalates into something far more unsettling as they pull up to their destination.
“Their frustration escalates into something far more unsettling…”
Writer/director Jon Cvack tells a tale that reflects the current divide we’re experiencing in America and the unchecked mental health crisis surrounding us. We have a driver and a passenger who differ in race but are the same in that they’ve witnessed the decline of the cities they grew up in. The difference is that the passenger has been pushed further and faster than the driver. He is now willing to do something about it.
What Cvack does so well is build and maintain tension throughout. With outstanding performances from Wallace and Garrett, the film establishes an effective pattern of tension and release that leads to its climactic moment. Ultimately, we’re left asking whether we, as a people, have any hope left.
"…whether we, as a people, have any hope left..."
