For those of you who’ve always wanted to see Juliette Binoche play a bad-mouthed truck driver – and you know who you are – Paradise Road delivers goods, and then some. This nonsensical representation is actually just one of the selling points of writer-director Anna Gutto’s powerful and satisfying thriller, a cleverly constructed melodrama that doesn’t transcend clichés and conventions as much as showing how useful and effective it can be in the right hands.
It could be argued that providing a plot synopsis could do a disservice to the film, since the narrative focuses on human trafficking – specifically the trafficking of girls into adulthood. It’s a topic that often brings out the worst in well-meaning directors, and often elicits an understandable “thanks, but no thanks” response from many would-be viewers. However, across the Paradise Highway, Goto shows welcome restraint and a careful avoidance of anything resembling exploitation, relying on indirect but poignant hints to keep us constantly aware of the deadly dangers involved. All in all, this is a uniquely promising debut for a feature film director for the first time.
Sally (Binoch), a truck driver who transports goods across the Southeast, unwittingly, if not accidentally, gets involved in evil. True, she regularly carries bags of contraband in her digger taxi, but only to ensure the safety of her criminal-leaning brother Dennis (appropriately obscure Frank Grillo), who is brutally beaten up by his prison mates if she doesn’t. Play along. Siblings are dependent survivors of an abusive childhood, which makes their bond even stronger. In fact, with the exception of Dennis, Sally is a solo who has no obvious human connections other than the other long-distance women she does on her CB Radio.
Days before Denise is released, Sally agrees to what she believes will be the last transfer of illegal goods. At first, she vehemently objected when she was told that the job would entail taking a young girl, Layla (Hala Finley), across state lines for her use and abuse. But when she’s reminded of what might happen to Denise if she doesn’t comply – well, Sally does her best to keep Lily at arm’s length emotionally until the delivery. However, things change at the drop-off point, when Layla grabs the rifle Sally keeps in the cab for protection and blasts the creep who’s ready to hand. After that, survival instincts, not mother’s feelings, began to emerge. “You might have shot him,” Sally yelled angrily at Lila as she pedaled to the metal, “but I left him there to die.”
You might think it’s only a matter of time before the stinging truck driver and the resourceful and intimidating little girl learn what they have in common—industrial grade emotional scars, for starters—and begin to trust each other while on the ground. Of course, you would be right to make that assumption. But melting hearts and taking down the guards takes a little longer on Paradise Highway than is common in films built around such contentious relationships at first. This not only enhances the credibility of the plot; It also gives standout actors time to bring out the best in each other, as the young newcomer rises to the level of the Academy Award-winning veteran’s game.
Meanwhile, smugglers’ representatives pursue Sally and Layla, who skillfully hire subcontractors during a particularly suspenseful truck stop sequence, and Grick (Morgan Freeman), a former FBI agent who now serves as a “consultant” for the bureau, allowing him to break More rules than he did as a federal employee while hunting hawkers. Ceric partners, whether he wants to be or not, with a rookie special agent, Sterling (Cameron Monaghan), who does everything through the book so he learns better under Jerick’s tutelage. Both of these characters are somewhat rude stereotypes, but the actors play them convincingly—Jerik’s penchant for obscenity would likely be exhausting if anyone other than Freeman was shooting F-bombs—and their reactions to evidence of child exploitation help sense the seriousness of the proceedings.
Credit DP John Christian Rosenlund for vividly conveying everything from the menacing, mysterious look of a neon-lit truck stopping late at night to the feeling of boundless freedom while driving during the day through naturally beautiful places. The clever choices of pop songs on the soundtrack are a plus—note the elegant balance of Blondie’s original song “One Way or Another” and a dreamy cover by composer Annie Kolonen and Philip Kaye—and Sister is a strong twist on the third-act solution that is a bonus inspired by elements planted in the opening scene. Speaking of which, the opening scene is where the movie tries to justify the Binoche accent. You see, she’s from Canada. Hey, whatever the work.
[ad_2]
