There’s an inconspicuous beginning to director Cole Webley’s “Omaha,” which lays the groundwork for the emotionally heavy family road trip film. A young father (exquisitely played by John Magaro gathers his children, 9-year-old Ella (Molly Belle Wright) and 6-year-old Charlie (Wyatt Solis), from their beds and loads them into a barely functioning car. The trio is about to embark on a road trip with their golden retriever, Rex, but I’d be remiss not to add something about this journey is off. Ella’s father asks her what she would take if the house were on fire. She then gathers Twilight series books and a picture of her mother as they go on their way.

You’ll start noticing little things that stack on the melancholy – papers on the front door resembling an eviction notice. The dad’s physical stature is tense and erratic (it will only increase as “Omaha” continues). While he is having a conversation with a sheriff, Ella looks through the car window, wondering what the commotion is about. Why is this family going to Nebraska, anyway? What led them to this spot where they had to leave everything behind?

John Magaro, Molly Belle Wright, and Wyatt Solis appear in Omaha by Cole Webley, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Webley and writer Robert Machoian keep details sparse when discovering insights through conversation and observation. The reference to a mother is in the past tense; there was a time when “she got sick.” Ella holds on to a mixed CD with a custom cover (drawn by her) containing recordings of her voice. Omaha is driven by ghosts of the past and decisions made out of desperation in the present. It’s through the perspectives of Ella and her father that these events are filtered through. Magaro’s character barely keeps it together and tries to put on a brave face for his children. But as the funds dwindle and he has to skip meals just so they can eat, shell shock begins to settle in. He’s relegated to calls of desperation to his deceased wife for guidance (or some relief) on what to do next. Ella doesn’t quite understand what’s happening, but she can tell her dad is hurting. Molly Belle Wright plays this part with fantastic precision. Ella can sense something isn’t right, but unintentionally becomes the glue keeping this tethering unit together. The car itself is on the brink of completely falling apart. Yet, “Omaha” keeps a theme of Ella and her father having to give it a push start before going off. It comes together at the film’s end, where an event changes this father-daughter bond for the foreseeable future. 


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Solis’s portrayal of Charlie is hilarious and energetic, as any 6-year-old kid would be. All three actors are natural to the story and build off one another. When the dialogue takes a backseat, Paul Myers’s visual style, capturing all the angles of this family traveling down I-80, takes the lead. With the weight “Omaha” carries, Webley makes conscious decisions to break up the eventual blunt conclusion with instances of simple joy. Within the 83-minute runtime, there is room for “Would you rather,” Ella and Charlie flying a kite at the Bonneville Salt Flats, and a trip to the zoo where it feels like everything will be okay for that moment. But as in the case of “Omaha,” good times are there as a numbing agent for the crescendo to come. Given the film’s 2008 setting, the financial recession had many well-to-do people looking for a life raft. All these anxieties are rising to the service of a father at the end of his rope. 

The conclusion is heartbreaking and somewhat abrupt, punctuated by a slight explanation with a postscript). With that, a natural inclination will arise in you to understand why a specific decision was made. This is due mainly to Webley and the collective performances imploring you to care despite having morsels to go on.  What would you do if self-sacrifice isn’t enough to make a path for the future? Add two children to the mix, and the stress will reach a fever pitch. “Omaha” reaches its destination, peering over the edge of the cliff of the unfathomable. Yet, it makes room for compassion where hope is fleeting. 

“Omaha” premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.