For anyone familiar with Robert Machoian, his first directorial feature The Killing of Two Lovers (2020) is a gorgeously-shot, but ultra-grim, gut-puncher. His follow-up, The Integrity of Joseph Chambers (2022) put critics in the same state of mind. Now, he doesn’t return to direct this new John Magaro-led tearjerker Omaha, that would be Cole Webley in his feature debut, but he penned the screenplay. Clearly inspired by a series of true events that have to go unspoiled for anybody interested in seeing this film, Machoian’s script is about has emotionally-grueling as you could expect, and it’s clear what drew him to this idea. A story about an ultra-conflicted man, holding on to the fragile remains of his life and family, having to make extreme and devastating choices. Thankfully, for as heavy as Omaha gets, there is the grace of Webley’s direction and Magaro’s sensitive and powerful performance that adds a thick layer of empathy and warmth to balance everything out.

We begin the film with the knowledge that Magaro, whose character is simply named ‘Dad’, is suffering from the loss of his wife and is on the last day of his eviction notice. He carries with him two children, Ella and Charlie, and a dog named Rex. He has plans for where they go next (with Omaha, Nebraska being the target city) but they aren’t made clear to us or his kids. For the next hour, we see the trip mostly through their limited knowledge and a certain amount of trust in that wherever they go, it’s for the best. For as much creeping sadness as there is underlying in Magaro’s gentle eyes, and for as many questions as Ella asks her Dad and receives no answer, the time spent together is portrayed as loving and bonding as Dad can possibly make it. He knows he owes every second to them, and in return, it’s the time the audience has to soak it in as well.

There is a lot of secrecy to Omaha’s final scenes and it’s better left unsaid, as knowing its true intentions may steer people away from ever giving it a chance, but it’s a film that deserves attention, if anything for its key performances. Magaro, who has been a fascinating actor since he first started, is monumental here. A true “face” actor, who can communicate so much with saying so little. It’s the type of performance that’s maybe too subtle to crash the next awards season, but nevertheless will be mentioned as one of the year’s best performances by any critic with a brain. It will absolutely lead him to his next great role.

Of the two children played by Wyatt Solis and Molly Belle Wright, both are pure naturals, feeling as though there isn’t even a camera on their face. Their chemistry with each other and Magaro is a miraculous achievement in family casting. But it’s Molly Belle Wright that will rip your heart into pieces. It seems as the years go on, child performances have improved greatly over the decades, leaving only a few that really stand out as something that feels next-level, and Wright is next-level, having the enormous task of carrying the most emotional scenes on her tiny back. It’s a truly revelatory breakthrough child performance.

Cole Webley’s film is only a hair above 80-minutes, but what he’s able to pack into that short runtime is a whirlwind emotional experience as hard-hitting as Sean Baker’s The Florida Project, though even more stripped-down and small. Some may feel cheated by the finale, but what it builds to is of incredibly important awareness. Despite its devastation, its warmness somehow still allows for a rewarding experience and one of the year’s best movies with performances you absolutely cannot miss.