The Short History of the Long Road

For teenage Nola (Carpenter), home is the open road. Her self-reliant father (Ogg) is her anchor in a life of transience. The pair crisscross the United States in a lovingly refurbished RV, relishing their independence and making ends meet by doing odd jobs. A shocking rupture, though, casts Nola out on her own. She makes her way to Albuquerque, New Mexico, in search of a mother she never knew. When her motorhome unexpectedly breaks down, she forges a bond with an auto body shop owner (Trejo), and senses the possibility of mooring her ship in this storm.

• Sabrina Carpenter as Nola
• Steven Ogg as Clint, Nola’s dad
• Danny Trejo as Miguel
• Maggie Siff as Cheryl, Nola’s mom
• Rusty Schwimmer as Marcie
• Jashaun St. John as Blue
• Jackamoe Buzzell as Security Guard

In August 2018, it was announced Sabrina Carpenter, Steven Ogg, Danny Trejo, Maggie Siff, Rusty Schwimmer and Jashaun St. John had joined the cast of the film, with Ani Simon-Kennedy directing from a screenplay she wrote.[2]

The film received generally positive reviews. On the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes the film has a score of 89%, with an average rating of 6.95/10 based on 28 critics.[3] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 60 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating “mixed or average reviews.” [4]

Variety praised Carpenter's performance, stating that she "permeated the screen with an astutely soulful quality that’s tough to turn away from." [5]

It had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 27, 2019.[6][7]

• The Short History of the Long Road at IMDb