The timing could not have been more difficult for a film like Rebuilding to premiere at Sundance in January, shortly after the devastating LA wildfires. Writer/director Max Walker-Silverman offers a film set in the aftermath of a Colorado wildfire that leaves several families seeking a way forward from the ashes, a subject all too familiar to many in the audience at its Sundance premiere. Starring Josh O'Connor as Dusty, a rancher who loses his family's generational home, barn and land in the severe burn, this quiet but moving film places its audience directly in the path of tragedy. It's likely that anyone impacted by the recent fires in LA will find the film quite difficult to watch, but if they do give it a chance, Walker-Silverman will reward them (and everyone else) with a rumination on moving forward and finding new life in a space where it feels like nothing could ever thrive.
Evoking a similar sense of place to the likes of Nomadland or its ilk, Rebuilding is deeply connected to its location, from the singed forests surrounding Dusty's now-destroyed home to the long open roads through Colorado's dry valleys to the small trailer park where Dusty and his fellow fire victims are set up with support from FEMA. He's spent the first couple of months after the fire bouncing between places but as the film begins, he heads to his still-empty trailer to sort out his way forward. He's still in close touch with his ex, Ruby (Meghann Fahy), but struggles to connect with daughter Callie Rose (Lily LaTorre). O'Connor delivers a striking performance as a man who's always kept his emotions quite close to the vest, allowing the intensity of his circumstances to bubble to the surface in the most nuanced yet undeniable ways.
Though Walker-Silverman is adept at infusing his script with emotional weight, as the film progresses it begins to feel a bit as though he's prioritizing style over substance. There's no denying that what Dusty is going through is tragic, but there's also the sense that we're being kept at arm's length from much of what he's experiencing. He reluctantly connects with the others living in the small trailer park for fire survivors, including single mother Mali (Kali Reis), and does his best to be present for Callie Rose, but aside from mentions of his great-grandparents building the ranch and glimpses of the burial plot on the land, we learn very little about Dusty's past or how he became who he is. Fortunately, Rebuilding's emotional center and O'Connors impressive performance are both strong enough to carry us through its shortcomings.
Rebuilding is now playing in theaters; in Chicago, at AMC River East.
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