Written & Directed By: James Mottern
Grade: B
Trucker is an independent film that plays with the notions of parenthood and affection for your child and being free with limited responsibilities. Our character has been running scared, sure that these things could never coincide with each other. She limits her happiness, so afraid of commitment or to ever really let anyone in.
Diane Ford (Monaghan) is a trucker, driving from city to city, being on the road on her own for weeks at a time. Whenever she comes back she spends most of the time with her married best friend, Runner (Fillion). They are very attracted to one another. Diane allows herself to get closer to him than anyone else, but still guarding that intimate part of herself, afraid of being vulnerable to someone who is unavailable.
One night her world gets turned upside down when her ex-husband’s new girlfriend, Jenny (Adams), drops Diane’s estranged son, Peter (Bennett), on her door step. His father has been diagnosed with cancer and Jenny can’t watch him since she has to go to her mother’s funeral. Diane pretty much refuses, not making Peter any happier about being stuck with the woman who never wanted him in the first place. For the next couple of weeks they are stuck with each other though. Runner steps in as a sort of substitute father figure for Peter when Diane’s working. Diane takes him on the road a few times, which is full of anger, hurt, and brief moments of affection and concern. Peter has to come to terms with being around a person who abandoned him and his father for her own selfish reasons. Diane has to come to term with the fact that although she has independence she doesn’t have much in the way of human affection.
This is perhaps Michelle Monaghan’s best performance to date, if not it’s dangerously close. She brings out Diane extremely well. She exerts her hard exterior shell while still making her seem like a real human with real emotions and dilemmas. Even if she doesn’t show these on the surface, you can tell she’s holding something more inside of her. Monaghan still shows enough of vulnerability towards both her son and Runner, making the character feel more genuine and interesting. Jimmy Bennett did pretty well as Peter, showing a boy who just wants to have a home and a parent who loves him. He doesn’t mind giving his mother trouble for abandoning him and being a cold person. Nathan Fillion does very well in the part of Runner. For a while you aren’t sure whether to like him or not. He leaves his wife to get drunk and cozy up to Dianne when he is still married yet makes it obvious that he wants Diane, making us question his decency. A lot of his scenes with Peter as well as a few pivotal scenes with Dianne, show us that he has good intentions and is genuinely a caring individual.
Trucker shows us the struggles of being a strong woman. It questions if there can be a balance to independence and taking responsibility; being your own resourceful person while still caring for your own. The film does this through some interesting exploration on a number of very different characters brought out by realistic performances. We are with these characters, struggling with them, given the satisfaction when they come together. Even when it comes to this satisfying and heartfelt conclusion, nothing seems too forced, but comes off as extremely subtle. We are able to believe in our characters and where they are at, making it a much more effective film rather than one with a picture perfect ending where all of the characters flaws are instantly gone.
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