The debut feature from writer/director/lead actor Jim Cumming is based on his acclaimed short film and partly inspired by the classic Bruce Springsteen song. We meet the protagonist, Jim Arnaud, when he’s about to deliver the eulogy at his mother’s funeral. But everything goes against plan, starting with the fact that this small-town cop can’t hide his tears and starts to go off into wild digressions. In the end his 10-year-old daughter’s pink boombox breaks down before they have a chance to play grandma’s favourite song. But that’s only the beginning—the following days bring no relief or consolation, as Jim has to deal with his child’s bad behaviour, his painful divorce, and the decision of what to do with his mother’s dance studio. He falls deep into a state of personal and emotional turmoil. The winner of Grand Jury Award at last year’s SXSW, Thunder Road seduces with its bittersweet atmosphere and its empathy and understanding towards its main character. Cummings also brings a healthy dose of cynicism to this perceptive study of masculinity in literal and metaphorical crisis.