The Road to Galena

This film carried many sophisticated themes on its back for the full duration. Unfortunately they imploded under the weight of a Hallmark-style/Nicolas Sparks-style delivery. The widow of so-many-months suddenly is open to her first love, is convenient. The managing partner who committed to the firm a few months previous is now sticking a flag in his tiny hometown to fight big business. There are too many superheroes and too many villains for this to be real. The real takeaway is that innumerable martyrs have complicated the field for the living by doing disingenuous things, rather than listening to ones whom they claimed to love. This was a fabricated and convoluted conflict story based upon the sum ignorance of mortals.

Some reviews level criticism at this film for being too cliche, but they forget that some themes seem cliche because they contain enduring truths. Clearly a labor of love by the writer/director, this film is one of the most authentic and heartfelt that I've ever seen. He knows the farm life intimately. He knows the big city life and the challenges of marriage and career just as well. The script is structured in a way that flows naturally and is easy to follow, compared to similar films that jump back in time in ways that are confusing. The acting is superb, though these aren't the most famous actors for sure, you'll remember them after watching this. The story unfolds slowly and organically. Though it's a relatively long film, there are no wasted scenes. This is what fine traditional filmmaking looks and feels like.

This is set in Kent County Maryland but i doubt any of the writers / filmmakers actually know or have talked to (seen??) people from there. It seems like somebody's (with money) romantic, idyllic view of what the country is like and what it would be like to be a farmer. Like somebody from the western shore of Maryland, who has vacationed on the eastern shore or driven through Galena, thought the sleepy towns and farms were pretty, and made up a story about them. The eastern shore has a pretty distinctive accent too and i would have liked to have seen that represented. A nice try, with good music and nice shots of Kent County but not even close. Still i am glad this film exists.

In a film industry saturated with the recycled stories of life in the city, the Road to Galena provides a refreshing window into the life of Cole Baird, a man who dreams of running his own farm. While he wants to follow his dream, he's torn between his desires and the expectations of family.

Joe Hall does a wonderful job of depicting the struggle that's all to relatable to the majority of viewers. His direction was executed to perfection by Ben Winchell, playing Cole Baird, and Aimee Teegarden, playing Elle Shepard. But what really brought the show home was the stellar performance of Jay Sanders, playing John Baird. The raw emotion was palpable and anchored any scene he was in.

Overall, I would recommend The Road to Galena to any viewer who's looking for a story that differs from the oh so familiar cookie cutter formula present in today's movies. It's well worth the watch and will leave you wanting more.

Excellent story, I assume, based on a personal experience...Nice intertwining of friendships and family with good acting and an understandable plot that leaves you with the very real sense of self - being true to yourself. Small town living in a farming community has as many challenges as any big city life; if not more. The actors portrayed their characters very authentically - very real. Very glad I turned this on; just what I needed to see this evening - a sad yet positive outcome of a LIFE/lives and the choices we make for better or worse that lead us on to another chapter of our lives and what success means to each. I felt the father of Cole could have been a better selected role but all things considered? He did an ample job of the guy who settles for less due to circumstances; often doing the honorable thing instead of following his true choices for a life.