It’s hard for many people to imagine what it really means to be out of options. There are so many things that would have to go wrong and fall apart for those who live in relative affluence to lose their homes and be forced to live either on the street or out of their cars. For those without such means to start with and dealing with unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances, going from some semblance of comfort to having nothing may be a frighteningly quick journey. Cole Webley’s Omaha follows one father determined to do what he thinks is best for his children, a devastating look at what doing everything looks like without any available resources.

Omaha opens on a man known only as Dad (John Magaro) waking his two young children Ella (Molly Belle Wright) and Charlie (Wyatt Solis) up, instructing the older Ella to bring with her the essential items she might want on a trip, which includes a photo of her late mother. Ella has to help Dad manually push the car to get a running start, and they set off with their dog Rex for an unknown destination – Nebraska is all Dad will say – as a sheriff sees them off, apparently not her first visit to enforce an eviction notice.  

This is a very bare bones film, consistently in the moment and leaving multiple important details for audiences to deduce. Its tone and pacing shouldn’t come as a surprise given that the screenplay comes from Robert Machoian, whose film The Killing of Two Lovers also played at Sundance. Like in that film, child actors are put to excellent use and are given just as much of a showcase as the adults, which in this film is just Magaro. This is Webley’s feature directorial debut, and he brings a steady focus that works well with Machoian’s writing style, even more minimalist and determined to follow the lives of this family unit undergoing a difficult transition.

Magaro is a busy actor, seen last year in Laroy, Texas, Day of the Fight, and September 5, as well as in season one of the TV series The Agency and the Tribeca entry The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer. This is likely the most understated performance of all of those, though Dad is prone to angry outbursts when he is taken out of a brief moment of joy in between a general air of sadness. Magaro wears so much of the weight of what his character has been through even just in the way that he sits while driving, glancing over occasionally at the children he loves but far more plagued by his grim outlook on what the future will hold. 

While Magaro delivers an expectedly solid performance, the two young actors in his orbit are just as superb. Wright and Solis both have a handful of acting credits but this is certainly their breakout. As Ella, Wright seems precocious and far too accustomed to concepts that should be beyond her age, but still reveals elements of being a child that anchor her story in a heartbreaking way. Seeing the joy Ella has in getting to move the car with her father the first few times is endearing, but that excitement wears off as it seems like the car may really not start again. Solis captures Charlie’s innocence and the way in which children are fascinated by small things, like trinkets or candies at a gas station. These are tough roles for such young actors, and they deliver commendably.

Omaha is not an easy watch, staying very tightly focused on this family’s present without delving much into the circumstances that led them there. The lack of a backstory isn’t a problem but will certainly leave audiences with unanswered questions. What this film is, however, is an unflinching portrait of a man who has truly run out of options and has to do what he believes will ultimately benefit his children. Omaha is raw and resonant, hardly a tale of overcoming obstacles but one that realistically depicts what devotion looks like after everything else has been stripped away.

Grade: B+

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Omaha makes its world premiere in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.