The Bentonville Film Festival in Arkansas, which was co-founded by Academy Award winning actress Geena Davis, star of THELMA & LOUISE and the 1986 remake of THE FLY, directed by David Cronenberg, also has a year-long mission to increase awareness of diversity in the Media. The Festival showcases, like many others around the world, those efforts in film that highlight more strong gender-driven narratives.
One film that premiered at this year’s Festival was the coming-of-age drama ONCE UPON A RIVER, directed by Haroula Rose, which she adapted from the novel of the same name by Bonnie Jo Campbell.
Set in 1978, part-Native American teenage girl Margo Crane (Kenadi DelaCerna) lives with her father, Bernard (Tatanka Means) after her mother decides to up sticks and leave the family unit in Murrayville, Michigan. One night, her uncle Cal (Coburn Goss) takes advantage of her, but one of Cal’s daughters witnesses the illicit act, leading to a misunderstanding which results in her father’s death.
Troubled and traumatised in turn, Margo decides to look into where her mother has gone and embarks on a quest down the Stark River. Along the way, she meets curmudgeonly elder Smoke (John Ashton) and his friend Fishbone (Kenn E Head) and in the process tries to discover her own sense of well-being and belonging in spite of her misplaced childhood…
ONCE UPON A RIVER has an interesting perspective and world with numerous lives entwined together from the outset, but given the number of interactions and relationships that the film promotes, it occasionally lapses away from the through line of the story. However, thanks to the performance of lead actress DelaCerna, who provides one of the best teenage performances of recent years, ONCE UPON A RIVER gets back on track, with some striking locations and river scenes, capturing the essence of Mid-Western Americana.
It’s also great to see veteran actor John Ashton back on screen in a raspy, cynical performance and for fans of his films like BEVERLY HILLS COP (1984) and MIDNIGHT RUN (1988) it is a joyful, if a little brief appearance that warrants a little more when he is on screen.
All in all, ONCE UPON A RIVER highlights great talent both in front of and behind the camera.
For more on the Bentonville Film Festival, please click on the link here:
