TIFF 2021: The Wheel
Hurley/Pickle ProductionsSteve Pink’s The Wheel is an emotionally charged and deeply intimate look at a young couple on the brink of divorce. Albee (Amber Midthunder) is cruel and defeated, more interested in her cell phone than her husband and only communicates in scowls. Walker (Taylor Gray), in comparison, is desperate to save their marriage, going so far as to book a weekend getaway at an Airbnb lakeside cabin and bringing along a book entitled “Seven Questions to Save Your Marriage.” He is understanding and compassionate towards Albee but has an underlying hurt that he tries to hide from her.
The Wheel truly takes off when Albee and Walker meet the couple that is hosting them at the cabin. Carly (Bethany Anne Lind) and Ben (Nelson Lee) are newly engaged and believe that they have a perfectly idyllic relationship, but once they meet Albee and Walker, they soon see that there are more cracks in their partnership than they initially realised. Before this awakening, Carly goes so far as to play marriage counsellor for Albee and Walker, much to the dismay of Ben. As the film continues, both couples are forced to address their relationship, and whether there is something to save or if it is finally time to move on.
The parallels that spring up between these two couples are the emotional crux of The Wheel. Without this, and the four terrific performances presented by Midthunder, Gray, Lind, and Lee, The Wheel would not work because of how simple the premise is. There really is not much to the film’s screenplay, as it is quite a basic breakup story that has been explored many times before. But with the intimate performances Steve Pink pulls from his actors, The Wheel turns into a captivating portrait of relationships hanging on by a mere thread. It is almost as if the audience is intruding into the lives of these two couples, voyeurs on the edge observing every callous remark and grimace shared between them.
Despite the slick 83 minute runtime, each character in The Wheel is fully developed and thought out. The audience fully understands the different pain each character is experiencing, both through the back story that is presented in the film and simply by reading the emotion on the actors’ faces. Lind plays Carly as someone that has underlying insecurities, she’s proud of herself that she’s managed to bag someone like Ben, but her worried eyes show that she’s afraid of losing him. Lee plays Ben as a dashing bachelor, unsure if he’s ready to settle down or if he feels trapped by his impending wedding. Gray’s Walker is the truly loving one, unwilling to give up on Albee and pouring his entire heart and soul into helping her. But The Wheel is truly Amber Midthunder’s movie. The way she plays Albee is so viciously cruel and mean, she asks for no sympathy from the audience as she lashes out at everyone around her. Watching Midthunder’s scenes is like watching a film while holding your breath, never sure of what her character is going to say next.
The entirety of Steve Pink’s The Wheel rests with how incredible the performances by the cast are. Each and every single actor manages to draw the audience in and force them to completely understand their characters. You cannot help but be pulled into the intimacy and emotional core of The Wheel. It is such a compassionate yet deeply painful film as it examines the fragility and salvageability of relationships, and its finale drives the entire concept home. The Wheel may not present anything new, but its small-scale intimacy is enough.