Gasoline Rainbow Review – a free-spirited coming-of-age ode to youthful curiosity | Movies

In the opening seconds of the Ross brothers’ new film, a teenager confesses his hope of discovering a place that “weirdos” like him can call home. The opening raises doubts about the novelty of what might follow: the trope of the high school underdog has been endlessly revisited. Gasoline Rainbow – billed as a Gen Z road trip film – begins by replaying familiar images. As new high school graduates Makai, Micah, Nathaly, Nichole and Tony hit the road through Oregon for one last adventure together, we see the usual trappings of the genre: singing along, partying by the fire camp and lean out the car window to enjoy the breeze and the sweet call of freedom.

We’re heading into welcome new territory when an accident puts their van out of commission, and the group finds themselves in the hot desert trying to find a path forward, meeting strangers along the way. Directors Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross are known for blending non-fiction and fiction, and for their free-spirited cinema verité style. If Gasoline Rainbow is their first fiction feature film, certain elements echo their DIY sensibility: the teenagers are actors for the first time, share the same names as their characters and the scenes were partly improvised. The result is a film in the tradition of vibes cinema, less interested in a propulsive plot than in exploring the revelatory and delightful moments that arise from spontaneous human interactions. The group tells the audience that they have no plans for their trip. It’s a fitting statement for the film itself, which plods along slowly, happy to be pulled in new directions, seeing what treasures emerge by chance.

The portraits of the five slowly reveal themselves, building the image of an America that is anxious and unstable, yet filled with pockets of kindness. Conversations touch on evictions, police brutality against black men, and the climate emergency. True to the Ross brothers’ empathetic cinematic style – all watching and listening – these scenes never seem forced and these topics are, as in everyday life, interwoven with personal reflections. By comparison, other moments – like when the group frolics on a beach to the sound of a catchy, catchy song – seem distracting and sentimental. It’s the quieter moments of connection, disclosure, and revelation that constitute the true heart of the film, a tender ode to curiosity and preservation of its community.

• Gasoline Rainbow is on Mubi from May 31.