5 out of 5

Director: Barry Shils

I do not know why Motorama is as bizarrely awesome as it is. Bravo used to show Motorama all the time back when Bravo still showed worthwhile movies and when I was just getting into film. Because of all the character actors in the movie, and because it was being shown often on a movie channel, I always assumed that Motorama was a huge cult movie. Cult? Sure. Huge? Not really. It rarely gets mentioned in the company of other strangeies and Im not sure why. So its your job to make this movie bigger. Motorama is the story of Gus, an 11-year old kid who leaves his abusive home via a stolen car and travels around a fictional landscape (the money and state names are all made up) playing card game Motorama. On the way he gets maybe sexually abused, loses an eye, gets a tattoo, and gets thrown out of like a 100-story building. Whats the point? Who knows. Nothing is really rubbed in your face in the movie, though there are certainly bits worthy of reflection. And because of the somewhat dull atmosphere and shooting style – which is not a negative thing, as it works for the movie – youre not forced to revel in any trying-too-hard oddities. The movie is weird, but seems to come by it naturally. Jordan Christopher Michael is one of the best, gutsiest child actors Ive ever seen, and Barry Shils (a cult director… who apparently has only made 2 films) pieces things together with just enough sense to string you along. Motorama – sure to elicit feelings of amazement or what the hell is going onness. Please help bring this movie into the big leagues.