ReelBob: ‘One Road to Quartzsite’ ★★★½

By Bob Bloom

“One Road to Quartzsite” is a documentary about community and a community.

The community are the snowbirds and other travelers to gather, mostly during the winter months, on pieces of land outside the small desert town of Quartzsite, AZ.

With RVs, campers, pickup trucks or simply cars they congregate for a few months, meet new neighbors, make new friends and hook up with old ones.

The vast majority of these people are senior citizens, retirees, people who lost everything during the Great Recession or simply felt the need to drop out.

For the most part, they are nonjudgmental — living life on their own terms. The vast majority embrace their self-sufficiency and their abilities to cope with any situation.

Their makeshift community provides a place to worship, stores and kiosks that sell necessities and knick-knacks.

Those living off the land seem to have a solid relationship with the small Quartzsite community. They shop at their stores and, if they desire, socialize with the local residents.

Both groups seem to have a live-and-let-live attitude.

Some in and around Quartzsite go so far as to offer food and clothing for people who camp out in the desert. And they take care not to assault their dignity. The never call the people they meet “homeless,” but treat them as travelers — some of whom seem to stay longer than others.

“One Road to Quartzsite” is a compassionate movie. Filmmaker Ryan Maxey, the movie’s director, cinematographer, producer and editor, holds that emotion in high regard as he spotlights many examples of not only neighbor helping neighbor, but of people bonding, despite differences in religion, politics, sexual orientation or gender identity.

If “One Road to Quartzsite” offers a familiar vibe, that may be because it most likely served as the inspiration for Chloe Zhao’s Academy Award-winning movie “Nomadland.”

And like that fictional movie, this cinema verité feature puts a spotlight on people who are not so much different from the majority of us. They deal with hopes, dreams, love and loss.

They simply settle for more modest and easier lives away from the hustle and bustle; an American dream that they embrace with good cheer and open hearts.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob.com or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.

ONE ROAD TO QUARTZSITE
3½ stars out of 4
Not rated, nudity, language