Y Tu Mamá También

Released just over a decade ago, this film is a true ode to self-discovery through road tripping, especially if you’re a young dude traveling with your hot friend and an even hotter older woman. No spoiler alerts, but what happens toward the end is both surprising and expected. All three of our main characters are in search of something. Director Alfonso Cuarón challenges the notion that those who come-of-age must be locked into a certain age group. We are always growing as people and therefore always doing our best to catch up to how old we are, learning lessons along the way. And what better way to do it than in a car in Mexico with three super hot people?

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

thetruthaboutcars.com — *Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas*. Photo: Universal Pictures

Unlike On the Road, this Hunter S. Thompson classic druggie novel translated uncontrollably well on the screen. The semi-autobiographical story follows Raoul Duke and his lawyer as they ascend/descend upon the American Dream. While I haven’t had the privilege of reading the novel, the movie is bananas. Only if the viewer were in an altered state of consciousness could they say: Nothing really happens, everyone seems normal. It’s sure to kick start the wild side of any hankering you might have to get yourself out of any town and into crazy town.

Allman Brothers Band – “Jessica”

Listen to this country-fried jam five times and an hour has already passed. When I hear this, the sky opens up, truly. Farmlands blur by and the car moves with a sense of purpose headed for nowhere and everywhere at once. When I was young and worked as a dishwasher in an Italian restaurant, the sandwich girl told me to look this song up, that it was the “saddest and most beautiful song in the world.” I'm not so sure how much I agree with the first part but the second part has me listening to the song right, having the urge to rent a Zip Car and just zip away.

Old Joy & Wendy and Lucy

Wendy and Lucy. Photo: Oscilloscope Laboratories — *Wendy and Lucy*. Photo: Oscilloscope Laboratories

It was in seeing these two films that Kelly Reichardt became one of my favorite directors making movies today. Both restrained and ambient, both containing some form of indie rock legendry, both on the search for a freedom that might not exist. While all of these similarities make for tight films, it is the dog, Lucy that appears in both that plays such a critical character. In one, Lucy is a free spirit that simply tags along with a sense of human trouble but not bogged down by it. In the other, Lucy has gone missing and it is up to the strength of her owner to ensure Lucy’s safe return. It’s amazing what the addition of a dog can do for not only a movie and a road trip, but for life. Seriously.

Modest Mouse – “Gravity Rides Everything”

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