Inspired by the events of his grandfather and great uncle, Drive Back Home director Michael Clowater has fashioned a film that is both a very Canadian film and a time capsule for the entire world at the time in its treatment of the gay community. A road trip movie that still falls into some of the familiar trappings that all road trip movies do, the film also punctuates itself with crisp dialogue, winning performances, and emotional pathos.
In the winter of 1970 in rural New Brunswick, Weldon (Charlie Creed-Miles), affectionately known as Wid, receives a phone call. It seems Wid’s older brother Perley (Alan Cumming) has been arrested for having sex with a man in a public place. At the behest of his mother (Clare Coulter), Wid drives to Toronto to arrange his brother’s release and bring him home, something Perley hasn’t done in a very long time due to the abuse of their now-deceased father.
Much can and will be said about Cumming’s performance here, but I think Creed-Miles’ performance here may even deserve more praise. He struggles to grasp how to deal with the world outside of his sheltered little New Brunswick home, which he has never left before. Because of this, Creed-Miles’ Wid tries to avoid having to stop in Quebec at all by loading up on gas jerry cans before hitting La Belle Province, simply because he’s afraid he won’t be able to do anything with everyone else speaking French. It’s touches like this that punctuate the difference between the two brothers, as on the way back through Quebec when car trouble hits, Wid discovers that Perley speaks fluent French.
The end is very clearly inspired by Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, but by then I didn’t care. Drive Back Home had already completely won me over.
- Rated: NR
- Genre: Comedy, Drama, Period Piece, Road Trip
- Release Date: 10/26/2024
- Directed by: Michael Clowater
- Starring: Alan Cumming, Alexandre Bourgeois, Charlie Creed-Miles, Clare Coulter, Gord Rand, Gray Powell, Guy Sprung, Judah Davidson, Sprague Grayden
- Produced by: Brian Mason, Maddy Falle, Michael Clowater, William Woods
- Written by: Michael Clowater
- Studio: Game Theory Films, Mason Films, Téléfilm Canada, Woods Entertainment
