Although “Trucker” follows a somewhat predictable path for this kind of Southwest drama and doesn’t offer much that’s new (Ashley Judd has been down this road a few times), its great strength is as a character piece. From the first scene, before any credits roll, we get a sense of who Diane is after she has a brief one-night motel encounter with some nameless guy. She refuses to give him her number and returns to the comfort of her big rig. It says so much about who she is and how she lives that it beautifully sets up the complicated path she’s about to travel. We immediately know this is someone who takes no prisoners and needs no conventional life. Only something from her past that she also has shut the door on can take her off the highway she feels she was born to roam. (more…)

… the nuances stand out in Mr. Mottern’s telling. To convey the fraught emotion, he relies less on heavy dialogue than reaction shots in which body language and facial expressions help Ms. Monaghan and Mr. Bennett present their deepest, unexpressed feelings. The actors make a convincing tandem, with their characters sharing a propensity for foul language and aggressive behavior. Yet, their collective rage never feels forced. Instead, it comes from an honest place colored by the vulnerability spurred by years of rejection. The actors understand the key to playing angry characters and having that anger mean something: It’s not about what you say, but how you say it.

The movie steadfastly avoids histrionics, opting instead for the quieter truths of a mother caring for her son, much to her surprise and in the only way she knows how. It takes place in the long shadows, dimmed lights and dusty roads of a setting that befits a story centered on such isolation and amplifies the impact of the close bond that develops between Diane and Peter. “Trucker” is a movie for audiences that value a particular strain of subtle naturalism that one rarely sees on the big screen anymore, a nostalgic rehashing of the days when movies didn’t need to telegraph every last detail.

Review by Robert Levin
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There’s one of those perfect moments in “Trucker” when I’m thinking, This is the moment to end! Now! Fade to black! And the movie ends. It is the last of many absolutely right decisions by the first-time writer-director James Mottern, who began by casting two actors who bring his story to strong emotional life. Both of them show they’re gifted and intelligent artists who only needed, as so many do in these discouraging times, a chance to reveal their deep talents. (more…)

What Mottern succeeds in his narrative his a brave and sensible character study of a woman who has withdrew herself from “real” human emotion. Not as profound as Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler from 2008, but perhaps a simpler tale, one that doesn’t require too much of the viewer. For a good chunk of the picture the young Jimmy Bennett does some marvelous work, perhaps the best child performance of the year thus far. Unfortunately Mottern’s writing of the young Peter is often stale and unnatural, giving him far too much credit for an eleven year old boy. Though I can admire the work considerably, what I loved about it, I ultimately turned on somewhere within the 90 minute running time. (more…)

We’ll copy reviews posted about Trucker from the Austin Film Festival here as they become available.

cknewton -5 out of 5

Nathan Fillion gives another outstanding performance!

tesh11 – 4 out of 5

A very good movie (short of being great though) and definitely worth watching. While the overall story is somewhat predictable, it was nice watching Diane and Peter interact and I thought they gave nice performances. The cinematography was excellent.