Arcadia (2012)

Greta's dad Tom is moving the family cross-country in a dented station wagon, promising a California paradise to his kids. All that's missing is Mom.

Director:

Olivia Silver

Writer:

Olivia Silver

Stars:

Ryan Simpkins, Ty Simpkins, Kendall Toole

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ryan Simpkins	...	Greta
Ty Simpkins	...	Nat
Kendall Toole	...	Caroline
Kim Reid	...	Mom
John Hawkes	...	Tom
Chris Fogleman	...	Cashier
Skyler Stone	...	Tatum
Dan Lorge	...	Chief Greene (as Daniel Martin)
Darin Heames	...	Vic
Mary Pat Gleason	...	Agnes
Mike Lutgen	...	Sleazy Man
Tawny Fere	...	Girl at the Bar (as Tawny Ellis)
Julia Campbell	...	Mrs. Acres
Drew Koles	...	Evan Acres (as Andrew Koles)
Steven Eckholdt	...	Mr. Acres

Storyline

Greta's dad Tom is moving the family cross-country in a dented station wagon, promising a California paradise to his kids. All that's missing is Mom.

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Plot Keywords:

coming of age | family relationships | moving | cross country | california | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 January 2014 (France)

Also Known As:

Arkadia

Company Credits

Production Co:

DViant Films,Filament Productions LLC,Madrose Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tessa Allen has a brief cameo in the film as Lisa, the girl who waves and smiles at Greta at school at the end of the film

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Goofs

Tom's short fuse is set off again when he is going to be charged $49 for the entrance fee to the Grand Canyon National Park ($25 for the vehicle plus $12 for each for 2 "adults".) The fee would actually have been only $25, as per the Park's website fee schedule: "Grand Canyon National Park Vehicle Permit- $25.00 (U.S. Dollars) Admits one single, private, non-commercial vehicle and all its passengers." The entrance fee for "Individuals" entering without a vehicle (walking, bike, etc.,) is $12 each.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Greta: Did you meet anyone cool at school?
Nat: Not really.
Greta: Did you meet any dorkuses?
Nat: You mean, other than you?
Greta: Other than *you*.
Nat: Nope.
Greta: Hey, where's your meteorite? Is this the longest you guys have been apart?
Nat: It's just a rock, you know.

User Reviews

One of the reasons we still subscribe to Netflix

A harried dad in New England stuffs his three kids into the station wagon and sets off for Arcadia (not the mythical land of peace and plenty; it's a suburb of LA), leaving behind a far from empty house, a frantic golden retriever and, presumably, Mom. Dad's story keeps changing—Mom will be waiting for them when they get there; she'll join them a few weeks later—and his mood oscillates wildly from long-car-trip goofiness (group singalongs of the "Rawhide" theme) to road-rage hostility. John Hawkes has been specializing for a couple of years in playing the shaky dad or the suspect authority figure, and he doesn't let us down this time; the storyline focuses on younger daughter Greta, a dreamy, disaffected girl on the cusp of adolescence who misses her dog and still carries around a ratty old stuffed rabbit. Surefooted w/d Olivia Silver shows us this shabby, chaotic new adult world through Greta's eyes. I wasn't sure she could sustain the fragile tone all the way through, but the ending, though it leaves unanswered questions, is perfectly satisfying. Veteran child actor Ryan Simpkins gives a fine, subtle performance as Greta. Making Dad a cranky libertarian may seem like pandering at first, but it pays off in a crucial scene later on. Long story short—this is one of those unheralded indie films like "C.O.G.," "Prince Avalanche" and "The New Year" (all available on streaming Netflix) that's really worth watching.