Four young women, who all had extremely difficult childhoods and grew up in a foster home, are summoned to northern Minnesota at festival time, for the reading of the will of their former "group mother".
Rachel Hendrix stars as Lyle, who oversees a travel blog and writes poetry but is looking to move on from her humdrum life and has a major interview lined up for the following week. She also has Mr. Robot (voice of Harold Perrineau) as her traveling companion, and per social media is supposed to be passed on to another person of her choosing.
Aurora Perrineau co-stars as Addison, who is not happy with her myriad of low-paying jobs, one of which is a tour guide on a sightseeing boat on Lake Superior.
Since all four women have to be present for the reading of the will and Addison has initially refused to join them, Lyle will travel to meet Addison and try to persuade her to return.
As they will eventually travel together on the road, it will, of course spark memories of their time at the group home, which included a tragedy involving the youngest of the residents there. I won't go into more detail to prevent writing spoilers.
This movie throws a heck of a lot into its mix, some of which is more successful than others. It has some fresh and original ideas, some fantasies and legends, quirky humor, poignancy at times, as well as an edginess and even a lot of sadness mixed in. Some elements were somewhat confusing and not entirely explained but most of the plot did gel together especially towards the end.
Overall, a most decent feature debut from writer and director Daniel Stine (who also has a role in the film) and I'd be interested to see what he next brings to the screen. The acting, especially from Hendrix and Perrineau, is quite strong, and although, as mentioned not everything works here, there was enough in this indie to keep me interested and engaged throughout.
