‘Omaha’ Review – John Magaro’s Best Performance To Date Is Devastating And Profound [Sundance 2025]

Director Cole Webley’s debut feature Omaha features John Magaro in his best role yet. Magaro plays a father (known just as Dad in the film) who takes his two young children, Ella and Charlie, on a road trip across the American West with a final destination in Nebraska. Dad wakes them early on the morning they’re being evicted and helps them grab as many essentials as possible before they hit the road. He doesn’t initially reveal where they are going, but eventually admits they are headed towards Omaha.

It’s been said about every new outing from John Magaro over the past few years, but this is the best performance of his career. He continually ups his game and shows his range with each new film, particularly in 2023’s Past Lives and 2024’s September 5. All three of these performances solidify Magaro as one of the industry’s best working actors and display his fascinating taste.

The weight of the film is placed on Magaro’s shoulders, often without him saying a word. He communicates raw, intense emotions throughout the film that he is trying to hide from his children so they don’t have to experience the pain he’s feeling. Robert Machoian’s stellar script taps into the difficulty of dealing with your own personal issues while also trying to be a good parent to young kids. Ultimately their father wants what is best for them, but has to wrestle with how he can provide that for them with no home and very little money to live off of. The open road isn’t a great life for his children, but it’s all he can offer given their circumstances.

For Cole Webley, Omaha is much more mature than any directorial debut should be. He doesn’t suffer from classic rookie mistakes like an overly long runtime or overstuffed and undercooked plotlines. There’s absolutely no fat to trim here, and the film comes in at under 90 minutes in total. Webley and his team are capable of creating an emotionally effective story efficiently and without much extra added on.

Webley’s visual eye is astute as well, finding the beauty in America’s Midwest roadsides. A particular scene featuring Charlie and Ella flying a kite in a field near the side of the road while Dad takes a second to breathe is exceptionally exquisite. The dull blue sky set against yellowed grass isn’t exactly something you’d be able to make a living selling prints of, but something about the location’s simplicity and how it represents a moment of joy for these young kids is just marvelous.

The film’s use of nostalgia is a unique one, as it looks at a uniformly desolate time in American history. Against the backdrop of the 2008 financial crisis, everywhere the family goes seems to be suffering. The dimly lit McDonald’s Play Place is as joyful as it is depressing, a small haven of fun for kids as their parents scrape together their last bit of change to surprise them with an ice cream cone (assuming the ice cream machine works, of course).

Throughout the film, Magaro’s paternal character offers a true glimpse of parenting. At every turn, he has to sacrifice things for himself to keep Charlie and Ella afloat, denying himself more food or sleep so that they can be more comfortable. I’m reminded of Grave of the Fireflies and how Seita must take care of his younger sister Setsuko amidst the perils of WWII. Obviously, the stakes are a bit different here, but money is tight and the nomadic lifestyle is forced upon them as well. Little glimmers of hope and fun are all they can look forward to after several devastating blows.

Omaha is an immensely soul-crushing film about family and what it takes to keep going when you’ve lost just about everything. John Magaro gives the performance of his career and will absolutely blow you away. Be sure and check this out whenever it gets a wide release and be on the lookout for what Cole Webley does next as he will certainly be getting more work coming off of this film.

Omaha had its World Premiere in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

Director: Cole Webley

Writer: Robert Machoian

Rated: NR

Runtime: 83m