The Short History of the Long Road

This low-key road trip drama, about a teenager forced to navigate life on her own, travels a well-trod journey. Nola (Disney Channel regular Sabrina Carpenter) lives a nomadic, hand-to-mouth existence with her free-spirited father, Clint (Steven Ogg). When tragedy strikes, she finds herself cast adrift and sets out to find her estranged mother (Maggie Siff), helped by kind-hearted strangers along the way. Director Ani Simon-Kennedy, who made 2013's Days of Gray, is so keen to underplay any moments of tension that there's not enough grittiness for the air of authenticity the film strives for. So, when The Short History of the Long Road arrives at its final destination with a message about finding your own path, it sadly fails to land much of an emotional punch.