All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt

Saw this at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival

"All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt" is a story about a decades-spanning exploration of a woman's life in Mississippi and an ode to the generations of people, places, and ineffable moments that shape us. This is an A24 project and the film contains very little dialogue throughout the film. While the film does have it's uneven moments when it came to pacing, the film still worked because of the poetic style narrative, beautiful visuals and the performances from the cast members. Director Raven Jackson clearly showcases her talents when it comes to visual storytelling as she was able to capture the Mississippi lifestyle for black individuals.

Throughout, the film has gorgeous camerawork as shots of homes, the woods, the environment and community feels nature and realistic. Many of the color patterns and sound designs were great as it reminded me of some Terrence Malick and Andrei Tarkovsky style of filmmaking. Many of the performances were pretty good particular a scene where two individuals were confronting each other regarding with loss and sadness.

The structure of the film is non-linear storytelling and Jackson does a pretty good job on structuring the story to become interesting. Although there were some pacing issues halfway as certain moments felt like they drag a little too long. The characters while have their charm, some of the character could have been focused and developed more and some dialogue moments did feel a little awkward at times. But those problems didn't fully affect the experience of watching this because of Jackson's visual storytelling and direction helps the film to become engaging.

This isn't a film for everyone as many will find it be very boring. It's more of an art house piece and I frankly enjoyed it. It's not the best film from A24 but undeniably beautiful.

Rating: B.

Once in a while, a film comes along that is inspiring and an example of fine story telling. All Dirt Roads Taste Of Salt is not one of them. While it runs a tad over 90 minutes it seems a lot longer. I saw it at the Melbourne International Film Festival where we were invited by the emcee to 'let it wash over you'. Goodness me. I had to work hard to not drown in the many, many shots that seemed to last forever, and which were in semi darkness. Largely unhampered by a coherent script or storyline, this movie had a lovely soundscape of bugs chirruping, raIn and storms, but for me that was it. Once your mind is overcome with trying to figure out what is happening and switches to 'How long has this to go?' mode, all is lost. A number of people left, some quite early, and many more didn't wait for the director's talk at the end. Needless to say I was one of them. A movie should be able to stand on its own legs and not need explanation. Life's too short.

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt is a bold, visual mosaic of a Black girl/woman's life in rural Mississippi, a summation of individual memories of love, heartbreak, grief, and life events told in a nonlinear stream of consciousness. Cinematically, the patient film stays longingly on key moments of her life, most typically moments of connection in embraces or holding hands. The music of nature and strings peacefully bind the movie together. Story wise, I found this movie very hard to get engaged in. Indeed, as a reflection of life, memories do not organize themselves in linearly, instead being a composition of moments at different times for periods long and short. But with little narrative to draw us in and care about Mack and the characters, these patient moments of longing instead often felt unnecessarily slow. I give the filmmaker credit for this bold vision and I appreciate the film on those merits, even though ultimately this film was not for me.

All Dirt Roads Taste Of Salt

In Raven Jackson's directorial debut, "All Dirt Roads Taste Of Salt," the non-linear narrative unveils the intricate tapestry of Mackenzie's life in Mississippi. While the film's random sequencing may not appeal to all viewers, it weaves together a mosaic of people, places, and moments that define the lead character. Not every moment shown holds the same profundity, and some moments are dragged too long.

Other than the random sequencing this flick has, it also relies on a stylistic dialogue that minimally uses spoken words, instead delving into scenes through expressive eye and body language. This is also coupled with an immersive exploration of landscapes, complemented by a vibrant and rich score which helps compensates for the limited verbal communication.

This movie opens with the line, "Slow, take your time", and this echoes the pacing present. The pacing is slow and sometimes torturous; stares linger long and hugs last even longer. The nonlinear manner the scenes are presented in also deprives the movie from having a buildup.

All Dirt Roads Taste Of Salt stands out with its unique mosaic approach to memories, but this won't be to everyone's taste or appreciation. However, its commendable cinematography and setting contribute to its distinctive character.

5.5/10.

I just couldn't for the life of me understand why the director would choose to shoot most, if not all, scenes in such a close up fashion. And then have that very annoying cricket sound in the background of almost all the scenes. It was soooooo irritating. Then you have scenes where no word is spoken for so long, you thought the movie had ended. Then you had the non-lineal approach which just made things worse. Half the time you don't know what you are watching because of the useless close ups and then half the time, you didn't know what's going on because no one is saying anything. Ridiculous.