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As many of us spend our days in quarantine, generally confined to our homes, our thoughts generally turn to the outside world—to what it’ll be like to live a “normal” life again. But in the Canadian dramedy Red Rover, one man sets his sights far beyond just the outside world and decides to go even farther away.
Red Rover prepares to launch into space with Damon (Kristian Bruun), a lonely geologist who’s lost his passion for pretty much everything. He’s just lost his job, and he’s living in the basement of the home he once shared with his girlfriend, who’s now living upstairs with her new boyfriend. When he meets quirky musician Phoebe (Cara Gee), who’s promoting a reality TV mission to Mars, he figures that he might as well apply—because there’s nothing left for him on Earth. So Phoebe agrees to help with his application video.
When it comes to making Damon camera-ready and reality TV-worthy, Phoebe definitely has her work cut out for her. Fortunately, though, despite this series of setbacks, Damon is a lovable character—just an everyman who’s down on his luck. He’s just a normal guy in a normal desk job who’s sad and lonely and feeling completely lost and off-track. Most of us have been there before, and that makes Damon a relatable character. He’s not just a sad, pathetic disappointment of a character—because there’s more to him. Somewhere in there, there’s a light—just a glimpse of the guy he’s capable of being. And when he meets free-spirited Phoebe, when he throws himself into the idea of traveling to Mars, and when he finally gets outside his dingy basement apartment, he starts to come back to life.
Damon’s story is full of ups and downs. Just when it seems like his life could finally be turning around, something else hits. And through every accomplishment and every setback, you’ll keep cheering him on. Still, while the film may follow the journey to becoming a reality star on Mars, that doesn’t mean that it’s new or surprising. In fact, it’s all pretty predictable and surprisingly formulaic. But Damon and Phoebe make the same old formulas pretty easy to overlook.
With its mix of drama, comedy, and romance—and its otherworldly quest—Red Rover is a lovable romp through Toronto. There’s just something about these charming characters and their offbeat adventures that makes it an enjoyable indie.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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