Like a locomotive moving at a steady pace, but with the withheld power to smash through objects in its path once they are reached, This Train, the 2024 feature film from writer and director Jack Lugar, does the same.
For the first 80 minutes of its 100-minute run time, This Train chugs along with aged rock star Ricky ‘Hellcat’ Heller (Edward Paul Fry) as he returns to his hometown of Anderson, Indiana, filled with grief, regret, and suicide on his mind.
Through snappy dialog, and revealing exchanges between himself and former acquaintances, the viewer learns of Ricky’s past as a musician, and as a husband who abandoned his wife Susanna (Julia Barnett) after the death of their teenage son, Jameson, three years ago.
In the final twenty minutes of the film, though, Ricky powers through his mental demons, not only to get back on the track to redemption, but in order to perhaps provide one for Tyler (Thomas Reger), a recovering addict and former friend to Jameson.
On one hand, the film’s dialog-heavy, methodical pace can feel overdone and lethargic, especially in the middle stretch. On the other hand, the slow unfolding of the story allows the viewer to feel the weight of Ricky’s burden, and to be continually drawn into the story wondering what exactly happened in his past.
A majority of the details of yesteryear are filled in by supporting characters, specifically Susanne, Tyler, and Ricky’s father Richard (Roland VanHorn). The latter of the trio provides a grounded wisdom the film, while Susanne and Tyler act as the most dynamic characters.
Susanne is a strong, determined woman who is able to carry on with her life after the death of her son, and the abandonment of her husband. We see this in the bravado she wields when calling Ricky on his selfish, self loathing. There’s a cutting, emotional edge to Barnett’s performance but it never strays too far from the even keeled, determined woman at the center of the Susanne character.
As for Reger, his performance of Tyler might be the strongest as he puts forth a convincing and nuanced portrayal of a young man plagued by a troubled childhood, the turmoil of recovery and relapse, as well as the loss of his close friend.
It’s not evident on a surface view of this Lugar Media production, but the film is tremendous at weaving together multiple ideas and motifs. For example, in a climatic scene where the viewer is led to believe that Ricky is getting close to the end of his rope, he delivers a reading from Ray Bradbury’s 1944 short story The Lake which includes the idea that trains have no memory. This not only calls to mind the theme of trains in the film, and Ricky’s desire to end the mental anguish he is carrying around, but it also pays homage to Bradbury, a midwestern-born author and screenwriter with ties to Indiana.
Another interesting motif is the role religion plays. About midway through there’s a moment where it seems the story might turn into a heavy-handed spiritual message, but instead subtly uses the redemptive arch of the Christian faith as well as its familiarity with the notion of carrying a burden. Still, one of the more interesting intertwining of stories is the use of flashbacks that act as a prism to the multitude of mental burdens Ricky is dealing with.
While the weaving of messages, motifs, and stories showcase the film’s maturity, there are a few less than stellar line readings between characters that showcase its immaturity. But the largest knock against This Train is its lighting.
There are a few scenes where shading is noticeable and a few others where it takes away from the action on screen altogether. Of course, one would more often than not chalk this up to a budgetary matter rather than poor craftsmanship.
Despite those hang ups, This Train delivers a welcoming and relatable Anytown, USA, feel of modern-day America, where loss, rocky marriages, drug use, and the burden of overcoming the past are more common than one would realize. But so too is the chance at redemption.
This Train does the job at conveying all these things as a 3.5 out of 5 star film. It's worth watching, and its subtleties make it worth watching more than once. For those interested in adding This Train to their film collection or DVD collection, it’s available in DVD format on Amazon for $18.49.