THE STORY – After he’s kicked out of his Indiana high school, an American kid and his Lebanese mom hit the road west.
THE CAST – Lubna Azabal, Daniel Zolghadri, Dale Dickey & Gabe Fazio
THE TEAM – Ramzi Bashour (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 97 Minutes
There’s an argument to be made that a road trip is one of the most compelling concepts around which a film can revolve. After all, it quite literally keeps the characters, and thus the movie, moving. Locations and people come and go, and little stays the same, except for those stuck in the car. “Hot Water,” the lovely new film from writer-director Ramzi Bashour, is a welcome addition to this subgenre of movies. It centers around a pair of charmingly opposing adults who find themselves in the unlikely situation of having to traverse the country together. And they just happen to be mother and son. It’s funny, sweet, and features a phenomenal performance from its lead actress.
The star is Lubna Azabal, who plays Layal, an Arabic professor at an Indiana college. Her son Daniel (Daniel Zolghadri) is 19 years old, but because he’s been held back twice, he’s only a senior in high school. At the start of the film, Layal receives a phone call from Daniel’s school. He’s been in a fight that ended with him attacking another student with a hockey stick. Because of the school’s zero-tolerance policy for violence, Daniel is expelled. It’s decided that the only way for him to get into a new school so he can graduate is to go live with his father, Anton (Gabe Fazio), and earn his degree out in California. But because he was concussed in the fight, Daniel isn’t able to fly, which means he and his mother must travel by car. The original plan is to meet Anton halfway and have him take Daniel the rest of the way, but, as is so often the case in stories like this, complications ensue.
As can be inferred, if nothing else from the difference in their academic situations, Layal and Daniel are incredibly dissimilar. She’s learned, tightly wound, and oftentimes cold, whereas he’s struggling with his education, relaxed, and exudes a definite warmth. This conflict of demeanor naturally leads to friction, though the story’s mini-dramas are structured so that, in most situations, both perspectives are given equal understanding and sympathy by the film. This is neither the story of a loser’s son getting his life in order nor is it exclusively about a no-nonsense mother learning to let loose. “Hot Water” isn’t interested in such simplicity; it gives a realistic dimension to its central pair.
Along the way, they encounter temporary friends and, surprisingly, momentary enemies. Their most notable brief companion is a friend of Anton’s, played by the matron saint of Sundance, Dale Dickey. As is always the case whenever she shows up in a film, Dickey is a welcome oasis right in the middle of the movie. Her trademark earthy realness is perfectly used here. She seems like an unlikely friend for Layal, but thanks to Dickey’s fully invested performance, it’s impossible not to be captivated by her and all her odd, hippie-like ways.
Daniel Zolghadri is excellent, playing Layal’s son who shares the actor’s first name. Characters of this type often come across as annoying or frustrating, but Zolghadri (with the support of the screenplay’s honest characterization) gives Daniel an inner sincerity that guides him throughout his journey.
But the film totally belongs to Lubna Azabal and her incredible performance as Layal. She’s brittle and quick to anger, with Azabel realistically mirroring her sudden bursts of emotion by raising her voice without warning or making sudden physical gestures, like slamming a car horn or punching the air. Azabel never lets us forget that, on top of everything else she’s dealing with, she recently quit smoking. Her character’s behavior is consistently mapped across the entire film, thanks to the talented actress’s smart portrayal, and this aggression only makes the moments where her sincerity breaks through all the more moving.
Ramzi Bashour’s film is charming and heartfelt, but never tips over into the saccharine. It’s not just the typical story of a mother and son bonding despite their differences, leaning on gorgeous shots of the American landscape to lend the film a sense of importance, as some lesser directors might do (although it certainly makes the country look beautiful). Layal and Daniel encounter their fair share of shocking moments and unseemly characters, and Bashour’s clever script and funny comedic editing make for a very entertaining movie. The filmmaker clearly has a keen, observant eye for human behavior, and his debut feature, “Hot Water,” signals the arrival of a fresh new voice in independent film.
