Review of Trucker (2008) by Karlina M — 23 Jan 2013

Oh Lordy, I cried so much during this film. It's like my generation's Terms of Endearment. I could not get a grip on myself until towards the end.

The disconnection of the mother, the fact that she had the ability to leave her baby son. I could not stand the character Diane on one level because she is obviously unbelievably selfish and self-destructive. Yet, on another level, I felt great compassion for her. All mothers whether they admit to it or not, fear being unable to establish meaningful connections with their children. This is the story of a mother who not only did not connect with her child, but abandoned him. Michelle Monaghan's character is a big drinker and uses men to fill her emptiness, which made it even more difficult to watch but at the same time made it even more riveting. As I was watching, I wanted to see myself as different than Diane, but there are self-destructive parts of her every woman struggles to face. Even though I have made much different decisions than Diane, this film made me feel I could not judge the character or her decisions. In my opinion, we are all just a few twists of fate from despair and brokenness though we will do most anything not to acknowledge that.

I was shocked to see this is the first film by director James Mottern. I am looking forward to seeing what other movies he has coming up. He obviously directed the pants off Michelle Monaghan (I had never heard of her before this film and when I looked her up saw she had mostly played forgettable supporting roles). I am a big Nathan Fiillion fan and really enjoyed his scenes. I do wish he had had a bigger role. Overall, I highly recommend this film but make sure you have kleenex on hand.