HOMELESS SNAPSHOT

HOMELESSNESS IN SEATTLE PROVES TOO EXPENSIVE

by PETER THOMAS BUSCH

The systemic social issues of the growing homelessness crisis gets a snapshot taken with a profile of a Seattle woman whose only refuge gets towed to an impound yard.

Rose Byrne creates a character who is attached to her car as much as people are attached to their residences after a bout with binge drinking dislocates her from just about everything.

The true story of Amanda Ogle living in her car until the car gets stolen from a parking lot while she is in a job interview. A tow truck company causes the real problem though. After the car thief’s joy ride comes to an end, the tow truck company tows the car to an impound lot and begins to charge a daily $50 impound fee, which is insurmountable for a homeless person.

Director Stephanie Laing keeps everything quite real, especially since the reality of Amanda’s personal crisis is interesting enough.

The linear narrative plows ahead over one obstacle after another.

The car is not only a home but the only mode of transportation that Amanda can afford to travel in for visits with her daughter, Avery, played by Elsie Fisher.

Avery seems to keep Amanda motivated with frequent telephone calls, but Amanda’s battle with the tow truck company causes greater psychological distance between mother and daughter.

A Seattle court ruling sides with Amanda, but the tow truck company has accumulated impound charges which eventually reach $21,634, an insurmountable amount for a homeless, unemployed women living in a shelter.

Laing follows Amanda around with the camera to recreate the full extent of the life threatening predicament.

A relationship then becomes the focus, as the court challenge runs into one delay after another delay, when Amanda finds a social justice lawyer willing to help her.

Dominic Sessa plays Kevin, a young, well meaning but inexperienced lawyer, who must deal with an opposing party who uses heavy handed tactics and ignores service of court documents, while the impound charges accumulate.

Byrne continues a recent flourishing of acting creativity by transforming into a very determined person who just cannot get a break after several good faith attempts to better herself.

Byrne recently received critical acclaim and several major award nominations for her performance as Linda, in the film, If I had Legs I’d Kick You (2025). While both characters struggle with personal issues, Byrne magically creates two distinct characters struggling with the systemic social barriers women must confront to succeed.

Amanda becomes an interesting character who has many redeeming qualities, the greatest of which seems to be the ability to persevere against the greatest of odds.