[SXSW 2024] GASOLINE RAINBOW -- Poignant, Naturalistic Teen Coming-of-Age

Review by Sean Boelman

Our crew (Tony Abuerto, Micah Bunch, Nichole Dukes, Nathaly Garcia, Makai Garza) sits atop the van watching the sun set | Credit: Turner Ross, Bill Ross.

Brothers Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross’s last documentary, Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets, received so much acclaim that it established them as filmmakers to watch. Their first narrative film, Gasoline Rainbow, debuted at last year’s Venice Film Festival to a warm reception, and it’s understandable why — it’s a very solid entry into the canon of teen cinema.

The movie follows a group of teenagers who set out on a road trip on their last summer together before going their separate ways, hoping to find the “Party at the End of the World.” Although this is hardly the first entry in the “one last hurrah” genre of teen cinema, and it doesn’t reinvent the wheel narratively or thematically, the film feels so grounded that it stands out nonetheless.

The Ross Brothers’ background in documentary filmmaking is incredibly evident in their fiction debut. The pacing is very meandering, with the characters drifting through the hour and fifty-minute runtime. However, the characters' interactions with one another and the people they encounter along their journey are often moving or amusing.

As with many “vibes” movies, Gasoline Rainbow is strongest in its technical aspects. Part of what makes this such an impressive movie is that the Ross Brothers also did the cinematography and editing. The film has a genuinely independent, almost guerilla sensibility that few movies benefit from these days.

For people in their 40s, the Ross Brothers have an uncanny understanding of the zeitgeist of American youth. Gasoline Rainbow is refreshingly free of the stereotypes often accompanying the coming-of-age genre. Each character feels lived in, with a personality that feels richly developed and authentic.

A lot of credit for the film’s success is owed to the strong ensemble that the Ross Brothers assembled. For all five of the leads — Tony Aburto, Micah Bunch, Nichole Dukes, Nathaly Garcia, and Makai Garza — Gasoline Rainbow is their cinematic debut. This lends the characters a sense of naturalism, as they are actually teenagers, and the quintet successfully creates a compelling friendship dynamic.

The movie offers some very poignant observations about the anxieties that today’s teenagers face. However, unlike many films featuring teenagers being “insightful,” the dialogue doesn’t feel annoying. The dialogue feels like things that teenagers would actually say, not forcing them to be profound beyond their years.

Gasoline Rainbow won’t appeal to everyone due to its lackadaisical pacing and thin plot. Still, Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross have made an effective fiction debut, banking on their documentary experience to create a coming-of-age movie that feels unexpectedly and beautifully real. 

Gasoline Rainbow screened at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, which runs March 8-16 in Austin, TX.

​Rating: 3.5/5