Directed by Steve Pink
Written by Trent Atkinson
Starring Amber Midthunder and Taylor Gray
Runtime: 83 Minutes
Available on demand July 22

by Nikk Nelson, Staff Writer and Cinematic Maniac

I’m a big fan of Steve Pink. He is largely responsible for two of my favorite movies, Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity. I admire film professionals that can do it all and Steve Pink has credits all over the place from acting, writing, producing, music supervision, and of course, directing. His most recent feature film directing effort is The Wheel, about Albee (Amber Midthunder) and Walker (Taylor Gray), a young couple who retreats to a quiet, woodsy bed and breakfast with a self-help book intended to save their marriage. Along the way, they encounter the proprietors, a soon-to-be married couple, Carly and Ben, who can’t help but get involved in their guests’ obvious marital issues. 

From the start, I wondered what attracted Steve Pink to this project. That curiosity almost exclusively drove my decision to review this film. Judging by the trailer alone, it looked in danger of being just another mumblecore “will they or won’t they” break-up movie that I feel like I’ve seen a million times starting way back in 2005 with the Duplass Brothers’ The Puffy Chair. The weaknesses in this film I found were some of those cliché moments, such as B-roll footage of sun shining down and Albee holding a pinwheel out a car window. But once I hit the forty-minute mark, I realized the script was something special. These days, well-written, authentic dialogue almost sounds like a foreign language, which might be a good thing, because when you hear it, you actually have to stop , listen, and think about it. “Classic Walker. Picks the happiest place to be sad,” might be my favorite line. 

The writing is further elevated by the powerhouse performance turned by Midthunder. Albee’s damage and vulnerability are so palpable, even a sociopath can empathize. The more subdued performance of Gray’s Walker works to perfectly support and complement Albee, but Walker and the rest of the characters didn’t ultimately have enough space to truly round out. This feels like it’s definitely Midthunder’s movie but, ultimately, the audience is better for it. The performance is that good. Nelson Lee as Ben, Bethany Anne Lind as Carly, and Carly Nykanen as Joan all play their parts aptly, but their story feels almost shoehorned into the main narrative. I wouldn’t have been upset if the film were twenty minutes longer to give a little more depth and resolution to the side characters but, again, that speaks to how engaging the film is overall.

The vagueness of the title intrigues me. There are a few things you can point to in the film that might explain it. I’ve mentioned the pinwheel. I believe it’s a reference to the setting of the film’s climax—a Ferris wheel, where Walker and Albee seem to make a final decision about their relationship. However, with what little Albee can promise, it feels like these issues will come back around again, and Walker will have to make the decision: stay on the ride with Albee or get off. There’s no in-between. It’s a very bittersweet conclusion I think perfectly encapsulates the complexity of relationships that are routinely, and laughably, simplified in your average rom-coms.          

Personally, what kept popping into my head was the Journey song “Wheel in the Sky”: “Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin’/I don’t know where I’ll be tomorrow” are lyrics that seem to accurately describe Albee’s emotional state. I am disappointed that the film doesn’t seem to have been released with an official soundtrack. I feel like one thing you can always count on with Steve Pink is his movies will have amazing music and The Wheel is no exception. I am leaving the track list below. I wasn’t able to find a lot of it on music streaming/YouTube so you might have to actually enlist the help of your local record store which is such a Steve Pink move. I hope this movie will bring a lot more attention to the music of Macayle Illenberger.

Track List:

• “This Feeling” by Alabama Shakes

• “Drink the Kool-Aid and Die” by Durbage

• “Making a Man” by Jack O’Brien

• “Plastic Energy Man” by Papa M

• “Are/Blue Bug” by Macayle Illenberger

• “Rootbeer” by Macayle Illenberger

• “Yellow Eyes” by Rayland Baxter

• “Hide + Seek” by Derek Simpson

• “Tuesday” by Macayle Illenberger

• “Sweet Thing” by Van Morrison