TRAVELING LIGHT
Genre: Drama
Director: Bernard Rose (Candyman, Frankenstein, Immortal Beloved, Anna Karenina)
Cast: Tony Todd (Candyman), Danny Huston (The Constant Gardener), Stephen Dorff (Blade), Olivia d'Abo (Bandit).
"Synopsis: Traveling Light tells the story of Caddy (Tony Todd) over a twenty-four-hour period on May 30th, 2020, as he searches for his missing son, who has been living on the streets while working as an Uber/Delivery driver during the early days of the Pandemic in Los Angeles. His path crosses Harry (Danny Huston), a cult leader who is holding a bizarre happening/ceremony up on Mulholland Drive, where Todd (Stephen Dorff) and Mary (Olivia d’Abo) are attending as acolytes. All the while, news of the horrific murder of George Floyd reverberates around the city as the social fabric collapses, and we realize we are witnessing the end of an era…
Funny and frightening in equal measure, Traveling Light is a Bunuelian satire of bourgeoise life in Los Angeles at a moment of extreme crisis."
What can I say about Traveling Light, a film that feels too soon to be viewed as enjoyable entertainment? Well, it's art that paints a voyeuristic view of a time of societal turmoil that 20 years from now, if advertising, screenings, & publicity is done right, will become a cult classic. It truly does feel like it was made for a future audience curious about what we are living through now, which is fascinating. "I guess you guys aren't ready for that, yet. But your kids are gonna love it."
We travel with Tony Todd's character Caddy who feels like a very real person who is simultaneously searching for his son, whilst processing the gravity of police brutality amidst the murders of George Floyd & Elijah McClain. Caddy is constantly drawing hard boundaries around people who simply couldn't be bothered to wear a mask nor respect social distancing. People who symbolize those in our real world who went out of their way to ensure this plague would still be here taking our loved ones from us in 2023.
The film has relative aspects to the feeling of Love in the Time of Cholera & Living in Oblivion. The combined flavor is just right.
Stephen Dorff plays Todd, a recovering addict who is one of the fortunate few who entered lock down with someone special, his beautiful partner Mary (Olivia d'Abo) who works tirelessly to provide a healing environment for him. Mary follows a wellness guru named Harry (Danny Huston) & introduces Todd to Harry's program but in doing so it is revealed that Harry is an exploitative cult leader.
Many of us in real life saw people fall prey to these types of people during lock down, becoming a cult leader has never been easier.
Overall this film was brilliant. I was immersed right to the end credits, and I'll definitely be showing it to others in 20 years.
