Road of Bygones

Based on the premise, I expected Road of Bygones to be a pretty standard grief road trip indie flick. Yeah, there’s enough of those to be its own subgenre. And there are many ways that Road of Bygones fits too nicely in that subgenre to really stand out. But Road of Bygones introduces a unique element to this grief road trip story. And it’s that element which makes the film shine and stand out. So much so that perhaps the movie should’ve just been about that element all along instead of the grief road trip.

Sisters Bobbi and Sam live pretty separate lives. They haven’t seen each other in years before they get the call that their mother died of an overdose. Impulsively, the two decide to take a road trip together to see the resting place of their mother’s ashes. Bobbi brings along a third person. Her full-time submissive, Ally. Along with all the grief stuff, Sam is now not only meeting her sister’s partner, but encountering a level of kink she previously had no knowledge of.

I’s the kink stuff which makes the movie interesting. Haven’t seen a grief road trip where one person says “oh yeah and that’s the woman I own” before. It is genuinely a really interesting element. Obviously, an outsider witnessing and commenting on the sisters’ relationship adds another dimension. But additionally, this dimension changes again due to the dom/sub nature of Ally and Bobbi’s relationship. It also changes how Ally and Sam interact. If nothing else, Sam has questions for Ally about her choices and lifestyle. And as the film goes on, the dynamic between Bobbi and Ally comes to affect Sam too.

The kink element is so interesting I do think it should have been the focus of the movie. Road of Bygones doesn’t really add anything new to the grief road trip genre when that’s the focus. When the focus is on the kink, including introducing an outsider family member to such a relationship? That’s new. That’s interesting. Because the film is only 74 minutes, focus one way or the other would be appreciated. I really like what Road of Bygones explores with the kink representation. But given the focus and run time, it’s not exactly like we reach a no stone left unturned place with it. Things are left on the table, unresolved and undiscussed.

Likely because it focuses back on the grief element, the third act is the worst bit of the movie for me. Bobbi and Sam go see their mother’s good friend, Laura. Laura not only has their mother’s ashes, but was there when she died. Laura is also just awful. Occasionally, she’s so awful it’s funny and even Bobbi and Sam laugh. But mostly, this late-addition character comes off as exaggerated and two-dimensional. Subsequently, the wrap-up of the mother’s death plot line doesn’t exactly feel fresh and nuanced. And Ally is absent from this entire scene.

Road of Bygones found a really interesting hook that makes itself stand out from other, similar indie movies. It’s such a good hook that I think the film should’ve pivoted to that being the entire premise. Overall, the film features good dialogue and intriguing, thorny character dynamics. Though the more the death of a parent plot is in focus, the less intriguing the film is. I hope writer-director-star, Astrid Ovalles focuses in on dom/sub dynamics in future projects. She’s got a personal connection to that smaller, more specific topic and new things to say about it. She could corner the market in lesbian dom/sub kink discussion in a way you really can’t corner the market in stories about a parent dying.

Overall rating: 5.9/10

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