SXSW Award Winner THUNDER ROAD Opens Friday at AFS Cinema
Once every few years, a new voice in independent film emerges, leaving a lasting impression that we’ll see for years. That voice is now here and it’s Jim Cummings with his debut feature, THUNDER ROAD. The film originally began as a short that premiered at Sundance in 2016. After its great success on the festival circuit, Cummings and the team returned to make a feature-length film here in Austin, TX that would go on to wow audiences at the 2018 SXSW, winning the Grand Jury award. Opening this Friday at AFS Cinema, we thought we’d let our Lead Film Programmer Lars Nilsen and the critics tell you why it’s such a great breakthrough film. Plus, scroll down below to see a Q&A from our Art House Theater Day screening of the film with producer Matt Miller, actress Kendal Farr, and actor Macon Blair.
AFS Lead Film Programmer Lars Nilsen says:
“You’re probably seeing the photos and blurbs for this movie going around and thinking (presuming even a mild interest): what’s up with this movie about a mustache cop and why do I care and… is it safe to ignore this, because I have a whole bunch of stuff going on in my life? And then the trailer is not that great at selling the film, so what do we have here anyway?
Well, it‘s a great film. It’s one that we’ll be looking back at in 20 years as a classic. By then, Writer/Director/Star Jim Cummings will probably be a household name. My only comparison, and its an imperfect one, is the way Danny McBride and Jody Hill landed on the scene fully formed in THE FOOT FIST WAY.
But THUNDER ROAD is much better than THE FOOT FIST WAY. It’s not only a demonstration of promise, it’s a full realization of an new aesthetic of humor that goes beyond cringe, beyond slapstick, and beyond Adult-Swimmy anti-comedy, into a kind of humor that works because it connects with our best selves – a la Capra.
This is a film that would be worth watching just as a virtuoso high wire act. Lots of people write-direct-star, but how many do it at THIS LEVEL? I mean Albert Brooks level here, Jerry Lewis level.
Everything Cummings brings to the screen is original, there’s none of that echo-chamber feeling that I sometimes get from new comedies. Every joke, every bit, came to Cummings from observing himself and others – particularly loved ones. This is the work of a filmmaker who can live and love without irony. That’s a bold choice nowadays, and this is a bold, bold movie.
It’s not going to make or break me or the film if you don’t go check it out, but if you know me, just know that I love it and I recommend it highly.”
Here’s what critics are saying:
“Jim Cummings, who also wrote and directed the film, has delivered a remarkable tragicomic performance in the lead.” – A.A. Dowd, The A.V. Club
“A compelling blend of comedy and tragedy.” – Eric Kohn, IndieWire
“A weird and moving feature adaptation driven by Cummings’ transfixingly vulnerable performance, the movie not only justifies returning to the source: Shockingly, it does so without even using the device that seemed key to the short’s success.” – John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter
“Through a combination of caricature and psychological portrait, subtle touches and howls of impotent, uniformed rage, his film offers a memorable depiction of a man ill-equipped to deal with or direct his feelings—probably not all that different from the rest of us.” – Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, The A.V. Club
“The indie film you need to see this year.” – David Fear, Rolling Stone
