There is an undeniable, gentle warmth to Michael Clowater’s Drive Back Home that defies the frozen Canadian winter backdrop. As two estranged middle-aged brothers reconnect on a long drive from Toronto to the icy New Brunswick countryside—with a few stops along the way—touchingly, the bond between them begins to thaw.
Based on true events from his own family, writer-director Clowater lets the action unfold at an unhurried pace. Set in 1970, Weldon (Charlie Creed-Miles), known as Wid, is forced to leave his small town and drive to Toronto to get his older brother Perley (Alan Cumming) out of jail. What’s he been arrested for? Having sex with a man in a park. As Wid’s eyes are opened to the wider world, he begins to confront not only his brother’s sexuality but also his memories of their abusive father.
There are few surprises in Drive Back Home, but the script is rich with lived-in details and none of the unconventional touches on screen are there for cheap laughs. The film’s muted palette matches the restrained emotional tone, but don’t worry, it will tug at your heartstrings at just the right moments.
At the film’s core are two fantastic lead performances, with Creed-Miles making Wid just as eccentric as Cumming’s Perley in his own way. He’s a small-town man stuck in his ways, unfamiliar with the cosmopolitan life that his gay brother leads. Cumming, meanwhile, gives a restrained performance as Perley, which balances the two characters perfectly. Both performers play off each other with a natural rhythm that creates an authentic brotherly chemistry.
Cinematographer Stuart Campbell captures rural Canada in all its frozen majesty, casting it as vast expanses of white, punctuated by mountains and the occasional town. It is remote and desolate, but beautiful.
Clowater primarily keeps the drama focused on emotions, but as the brothers stop at a variety of small-town diners and hotels, with every plaid-clad local comes an air of unease and potential danger. Homophobia is never far from the surface in this depiction of 1970 North America and it is this undercurrent of anxiety—felt more acutely by Perley, but only slowly becoming apparent to Wid—that gradually brings them together.
The world of Drive Back Home may seem like a throwback to many of us who live in large liberal cities or countries where LGBTQ+ rights are now well-established, but for those living in less accepting places, this sense of fear and hidden desire is still all too real.
In the final act, things take a more dramatic turn, with not-unexpected results. While the last shots of the two men, worse for wear after their cross-Canada journey, may evoke memories of other films, there is a welcome warmth to their familiarity and to the connection the two have healed.
Drive Back Home is ultimately a character piece, powered by the chemistry between Creed-Miles and Cumming, and I would happily watch those two drive anywhere. Their awkward but loving banter and the friction between them makes this a pleasurable, easy ride to take.
By Chad Armstrong
Drive Back Home receives its Australian Premiere at Queer Screen’s 32nd Mardi Gras Film Festival in Sydney on Thursday February 20th. Head to queerscreen.org.au more information and to purchase tickets.
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