A wonderful movie about two characters crossing paths at just the right moment in their lives. The understated Jenny Seacrest plays Cecilia, a recently divorced Brit driving through America's Southwest to bury her mother's ashes. Vanessa Zima is Zoe, a sweetly innocent teen escaping a troubled home with her two hoodlum friends (Stephi Lineburg, Victoria Davis), on their way to mystical New Mexico. Cecilia ends up giving the teens a ride, and a special bond develops between her and Zoe. Cecilia finds her mom's old desert cabin, along with her mom's native American lover, Red Shirt (Gordon Tootoosis). As Cecilia learns more about her mother, Zoe seeks enlightenment at the Indian burial grounds. The metaphors for death and reawakening are plenty, and I was entranced by the spiritual journeys of these two characters.
Director Deborah Attoinese shows a sure hand as she deftly deals with weighty issues while keeping the characters real. The script, by Attoinese and Amy Dawes, features characters asking themselves some of life's biggest questions, yet it never loses the charm of these characters nor the fun tone of the movie. The performances are all top notch, and Zoe moves at just the right pace. Zoe looks great, and the desert locales beckon. This movie is a hidden treasure, and it deserves to be seen.
