The Indie Film You Need to See This Year
Officer Jim Arnaud is a good man. He struggles with relationships and anger issues, but he’s just trying to do right by those he cares about, especially his daughter Crystal. He’s dealing with grief—he recently lost his mom—and that’s a thing that can really rattle a person, changing the way they look at and deal with the world around them. Jim belittles his own intelligence on occasion—he’s the kind of guy who tries to turn his own shortcomings into a joke so as not to be ashamed of them—and he doesn’t really have the intellectual or emotional tools to deal with this chapter in his life, one in which he lost his mom and might lose his daughter. He breaks into tears more than once, and goes on rambling, kinda scary monologues. He’s a fascinating cinematic creation and a pronouncement of a major talent in Jim Cummings, the star, writer, and director of the SXSW Grand Jury winner, “Thunder Road.”
“Cummings is a born filmmaker who plants seedlings of raw drama that sprout in unexpected and moving ways.” – Variety
“Cummings, who also wrote and directed the film, has delivered a remarkable tragicomic performance in the lead.” – AV Club