Film Review – Omaha

April 23rd, 2026 | POSTED BY Allen Almachar

***This Review Contains Mild Spoilers***

In tone, style, and execution, Omaha (2025) is one of those archetypal indies that makes a big splash on the festival circuit. These films are usually intimate in scope, grounded in its world building, and may not always have the happiest of endings. That last part is one of the defining traits of this release. Despite its strengths, Omaha is a dour and downbeat experience. That is not necessarily a bad thing – some of the greatest movies ever made often end on a sad note. The problem is that this feels as though its central purpose is to make us feel bad. Its theming is so unclear that the biggest takeaway is how much it wants to ruin our day. It stabs us in the heart and then twists the knife for good measure.

Right from the beginning, we sense something is wrong. Young siblings Ella (Molly Belle Wright) and Charlie (Wyatt Solis) are awoken by their father (John Magaro) in the early hours of the morning. He puts them – along with their dog – in the family car, leaving all their possessions in the house. Before they hit the road, a police officer shows up and has a conversation with Ella and Charlie’s dad, but since the kids are sitting in the car, they cannot hear what they are saying. With no explanation, “Dad” enters the car and they take off, unaware of where they are going and for what purpose. Most of the narrative involves this impromptu road trip, with the family making various stops along the way. Eventually, the reasoning for all this is made clear, shaking up the entire family in heartbreaking fashion.

The writing (Robert Machoian) and direction (Cole Webley, in his feature length debut) sets up the story with a lot of ambiguity. Ella and Charlie’s father provides little to no information about their trip. We get tiny clues along the way, such as their car having trouble starting, the family abandoning their possessions, and Dad digging into his pockets for spare change. The film’s description online states that this takes place in 2008. We can assume that the financial crisis of the time plays apart in all this. Early on, the narrative sets up the dramatic manipulation. Because we are left in the dark, because the only adult keeps his children at bay with their questions, and because we get little context into what is going on, there is a sense of impending doom. The story is constructed where we are in the point of view of the kids, so it makes sense that certain details are withheld from us. However, it also makes the tragedy of the situation unnecessarily cruel. It’s like having to watch something terrible happen in slow motion while being powerless to do anything about it. 

We’ve seen this premise before, most notably in the terrific Aftersun (2022). Where Aftersunsucceeds and Omaha comes up short is in the character development. Where we feel the inner turmoil of the dad in Aftersun, the dad in Omaha is a blank slate. We don’t get any inclination of the desperation Ella and Charlie’s father goes through – we don’t know what would push him to make such drastic decisions. Has he explored all options for help? Does he have no one to turn to? What caused him to pull his family out of their home and go on this long road trip? What is he thinking? There are scenes where we see him having fun with the kids – whether it be singing to music, jumping on a hotel bed, or being outside enjoying each other’s company. Unfortunately, because so little of him is revealed, all these instances feel false. It’s a set up for the narrative to eventually pull the rug out from under us. I don’t mind movies that leave things open to interpretation. But in this case, there isn’t enough material for us to make an interpretation in the first place. All that’s left is pain and suffering. 

My reservations with Omaha doesn’t dissipate its qualities. Paul Meyers’ cinematography captures the flatlands, deserts, and rural environments with large, wide-angle lenses. I was reminded of Nomadland (2020) in how the characters make their way through gas stations, diners, rest stops, fast food restaurants, and motels – the kinds of places people visit for a momentary rest before continuing their travels. The people we encounter are hardworking, blue collar, everyday citizens – those that make up the heart and soul of middle America. Shots of the family car quietly driving along the road while fireworks burst in the sky suggests a much larger world disconnected from them. The visuals are supported by naturalistic performances from the three main actors. John Magaro – who has gained a reputation as a character actor – successfully translates the torment and despair required of his role. We may not understand everything he is going through, but we can clearly see something eating away at him. Both Molly Belle Wright and Wyatt Solis are solid in their respective parts. Wright is particularly good as the older sibling – too young to have a full grasp of the situation, but old enough to know that all is not right.

For all the good it has going for it, the film is undercut by hazy messaging – we don’t know what it’s trying to say. There are pieces of themes here and there, but when put all together we come away wondering if the bleakness was worth it. This is especially true with the closing title cards. The story ends by sharing bits of information that only go to make things more confusing. What does the ending have to do with everything we had seen leading up to it? Is it a condemnation of a system that has shattered the lives of people? Is it the justification of parents forced to make hard decisions about themselves and their children? Is it about government setting flimsy laws that open loopholes for people to exploit? These are the questions the film raises but never truly addresses. Apparently, its major concern is to make us react in the most depressing way possible. If the goal was to put us down in the dumps and bum us out, then it did its job. But if it wants us to think about it at any deeper level, whether it’s with the characters or with society as a whole, it falters.

I don’t need movies to have happy endings. I don’t need them to fill every gap and answer every mystery and spell out its intentions in big sparkling lights. But what I do need is something to draw us in – something to make us care about these characters and have empathy for their plights. That is the big shortcoming of Omaha. It feels too much like it has a hidden agenda – as though it constructs its story with the sole intention of ripping our hearts out and tearing it into pieces. If that’s the case, it better have a convincing reason to do so. Sadly, it doesn’t do a good enough job of providing one.

Aftersun, Cole Webley, John Magaro, Molly Belle Wright, Nomadland, Omaha, Paul Meyers, Robert Machoian, Wyatt Solis