SPOILER WARNING

“Miles Away” is the directorial feature film debut of Jackie Quinones, and was shown at the Chandler International Film Festival on Saturday.

The film follows Jessica (Jackie Quinones), a rideshare driver who finds herself in a rough spot in her life after moving halfway across the country and failing to become a filmmaker. Her family has split apart after the death of her father caused her sister Melissa (Jessica Pacheco) to develop a severe drug addiction.

The movie takes place over the course of a day, with each of the passengers Jessica picks up reflecting on different aspects of her character. The first few rides mostly focus on her flaws, like her social awkwardness, her loneliness, and her tendency to make bad decisions.

Then at around 11 a.m. she drives Julio (Luis Guzmán) who encourages her to take care of her mental health, and a drag queen named Laurél (Salina EsTitties) who tells her to work on being more confident. In the final scene of the movie (which takes place the next day) the audience watches her take their advice to heart as she goes to the beach and dresses in a nicer, more confident looking outfit.

Throughout the movie Melissa is constantly texting and trying to call Jessica. She doesn’t pick up until near the end when we hear Melissa’s insane rhetoric, talking about microchips being put in her head and the Obamas’ trying to steal her identity. The call shows that part of the reason Jessica moved was to get away from her.

Jessica hangs up and calls her mom when Melissa starts spamming the family group chat, and they get into an argument about her mom never helping Melissa. The theme of family dysfunction is at its strongest here as Jessica’s connection to her family erodes.

One of the final riders she picks up that night is an actress, Bridgette (Jennifer Bartels), who’s up for some awards, representing what could have been for Jessica had things turned out differently. Jessica is initially hostile toward Bridgette, but they end up bonding over both having a terrible day.

The film clearly delivers the message that you never know what struggles someone is going through. If you had Jessica as your Uber driver in real life, you’d probably think she’s really annoying without ever knowing about her situation.

The next morning, Jessica finds a note from Bridgette in the back of her car telling her to be honest in her art, and the film ends on a happy note as Jessica calls Bridgette to presumably make this movie.

Miles Away is a good movie that delivers on its themes well with good performances and writing. Its themes of family dysfunction and not knowing what others are going through serves its main character, and adds layers of depth.