Bastian Günther, who made the excellent documentary CALIFORNIA CITY about the ghost town in the Mojave Desert in 2014, also dedicates his latest film ONE OF THESE DAYS to the lost American Dream. His film about an endurance competition in which participants have to put their hand on an expensive pickup truck for days is reminiscent of Sidney Pollack‘s pessimist, Oscar winning New Hollywood classic THEY SHOOT HORSES DON’T THEY (1969). That film was about a dance competition during the depression in the 30s in a shabby ballroom in California. Günther‘s film is set in the recent past, but the similar “hands on“ endurance competition has existed in the US for decades and it still exists.

Car dealership employee Joan (Carrie Preston) and fast food employee Kyle (Joe Cole) are the most important characters in this ensemble drama. Joan, in her 50s, masks her loneliness with a practiced smile, even when her lover leaves her or an online date cracks her facade. Kyle can‘t manage to take care of his small family. After many hours in the competition, he is fighting with his mind and one competitor who is permanently provoking him who seems to have more behind his limitless energy than it seems.
Cinematographer Michael Kotschi received the German Film Prize in 2021 for ONE OF THESE DAYS. His precisely framed and lit images convey the scorching heat and oppressive mugginess and gives the images an impressive physicality. Günther‘s film doesn‘t seem like it will end well from the start, but some of the twists and a daring epilogue do manage to surprise and the film is both tightly staged and tightly focused.

Tom Dorow (INDIEKINO MAGAZIN)

Translation: Elinor Lewy