Mickey and the Bear

There have been films like it, Leave No Trace and Jellyfish come to mind. These are films where the child has become the parent; children thrust into adulthood far too soon. In this film, it's Mickey (played by the talented Camila Morrone) who has just turned 18 and who is looking after her PTSD war veteran, Oxycontin-addicted father, Hank (wonderfully played by James Badge Dale). This is a coming of age tale in rural small town America. Mickey has a boyfriend who dreams of nothing more than getting married and getting a dirt bike. Bush parties on the edge of town with beer, bonfires, and blowjobs is your typical youth filled Friday night in Mickey's town. And Hank, well he's always about to erupt. Mickey at one point explains to her doctor why she needs more Oxy for her dad - Nobody wants to see Hank off his meds. No we don't. Happily, Mickey meets a new boy at school from the UK. He is a musician and plays classical music and suddenly Mickey realizes that maybe she doesn't have to stay in her shitty life after all. Some of this sounds a bit cliché, and maybe it is, but the whole thing felt authentic enough to overlook what I consider to be minor faults. The trailer Mickey and Hank live in, the details of what's on the walls, what's on the dresser; they way people speak; the restaurants they go to; the people of the town; the cars they drive - portraits painted like this is why I go to the movies. Catch this one on streaming services or a rep cinema if possible.