You’d have to be made of stone to not get a bit weepy at Cole Webley’s feature directing debut, the heartbreaking road trip drama Omaha. Led by the red-hot John Magaro, who has long been a reliable hand but now is reaching must-watch status, the film is absolutely drowning in sadness and dread for the end of one broken family’s journey. There are moments of light and laughter to be found, and even a spark of hope, but they are all tinged with a melancholy that is tough to bear.

All of that is said as a positive, I might add, because that somber tone is essential to driving home his message, revealed in the film’s final moments. But for much of it, we are left in the dark as to the destination that Dad (Magaro) has in mind. That puts us on level footing with his perceptive children, 9-year-old Ella (Molly Belle Wright), and 6-year-old Charlie (Wyatt Solis), who are pulled sleepy-eyed out of bed and into their broken-down car for a trip to parts unknown, leaving behind a home with eviction notices stuck to the door. Ella, wise beyond her years, helps Dad push start the barely-functioning vehicle. From the look in her eyes, this is something she is quite used to and even enjoys because it bring her closer to Dad, who has been struggling after the death of his wife and the financial collapse. Along with their loyal golden retriever Rex, the family is on what feels like one last ride together. Webley isn’t hiding that feeling; he wants you to have that pang of worry in your gut for the fate of these kids, for this family.

Intimate and yet at times profound, Omaha is imbued with small personal touches that resonate and expand our understanding of this family and its dynamic. With Dad slipping further into despair, Ella has picked up the slack in caring for Charlie and Rex. In quiet moments, she looks with desperation at her father, seeing the spark drain from his eyes and wondering if she is somehow to blame.  And yet she’s still a kid who misses her mom; she bursts into singing her late parent’s favorite song, “Mony Mony”, and plays a handmade CD with mother’s soothing voice on it. The fun-loving, precocious Charlie is a junior thief in the making, as his collection of toy cars stolen from gas stations grows as the miles pass behind them.

While grief is at the heart of Omaha, there’s also a sense of adventure and wonderment, backdropped by glorious shots of the countryside. Still, it’s impossible to escape the encroaching darkness and it constantly threatens to push the film over the edge. Keeping us fully engaged are the performances, with Magaro at his most heartbreaking and Wright showing the maturity of an actress three times her age. Eventually, Dad reveals the destination, Nebraska, and some will pick up on why he’s headed there. The rest will figure it out in the film’s most gut-wrenching scenes, confirming the fears we’d been holding in throughout. Fortunately, after Omaha twists the knife, it also leaves a little room for hope, and the feeling that there might be brighter things ahead is what makes this tough road one worth traveling.