‘Omaha’ Review: A Heartbreaking John Magaro Anchors a Fraught Family Road Trip

For a good portion of Cole Webley’s feature directorial debut, “Omaha,” we remain as in the dark about what’s happening as the pair of plucky kid stars (Molly Belle Wright and Wyatt Solis) who serve as two members of the tight-knit family trio at its center. That’s a feature, not a bug, as Robert Machoian’s screenplay may be steady in doling out information and clever in what it obscures, but those choices put the audience on even keel with the heart of this heartbreaking family drama.

It’s early morning when we meet them: Dad (John Magaro), Ella (Wright), and Charlie (Solis). They’re going on a trip, but only Dad knows that, and when he carefully plucks his kids out of their warm beds and packs them into the car, it’s hard to imagine he’s doing it in service to a trip to Disneyland or anywhere else warm or fun. “Pretend that there’s a fire,” he tells his eldest, the wise-beyond-her-years Ella, as she dithers over what to pack.

And while there might not be an actual fire raging, a tragedy has already torn through this family that took a beloved wife and mother and left destruction in its wake. And yet, as Dad (we only learn his name later), Ella, fun-loving Charlie, and family dog Rex take wing — away from a furnished home with eviction notices on its door, away from a worried sheriff’s deputy standing watch from the street, to a place where the most important thing they can have is each other and a slim packet of vital documents — there’s still a sense of adventure to what might come next.

Part of that is due to Magaro’s performance that teeters between moments of profound grief and a hard-won desire to show his kids a good time. As they slip through roadside gas stations, he pauses for fast food, ice cream, kite-flying, and more, all set against the starkly beautiful American West. (A scene in which the kids and Rex run around the salt flats of Utah is lensed so beautifully by cinematographer Paul Meyers, it’s likely to bring a tear to anyone’s eyes.)

While Magaro’s performance anchors the film, strong turns from both Wright and Solis give added depth. So too does Webley and Machoian’s obvious interest in their young characters’ perspectives and experience; “Omaha” is often not just seen, but felt through their eyes. That also means a slow-growing anxiety takes root, particularly for the observant Ella, and becomes nearly impossible to shake, no matter how much fun the family might experience in giddy bursts.

‘Omaha’

It doesn’t help that Dad plays not only the trip’s purpose close to the vest, but also its very destination. Eventually, he acquiesces to the kids’ questions (well, mostly Ella’s) and lets slip: They are going to Nebraska. That the location doesn’t ring any bells — no “Oh, where Mommy was from!” or “That’s where Granny and Pop Pop live!” — should raise the alarm. And while we eventually learn why Omaha, the lingering question of why Nebraska hangs over the film’s final act.

That is, of course, the film’s most wrenching portion as Machoian’s script drives toward some predictable but powerful revelations. Webley’s sensitive directing provides a sure hand for most of the film, guiding us through tonal shifts and lingering questions. That’s why it’s so odd, and grating, that the film concludes as it does. Its narrative storytelling ends on a strong note, capped with a stirring Magaro performance in a film filled with good choices, but a series of end title cards that blithely explain why Nebraska feel both unnecessary and judgmental. It’s a wild left turn for a film that works best when it stays the course, and should have done just that until it reached its final destination.

Grade: B

“Omaha” premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. It is currently seeking U.S. distribution.

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