The Grand Illusion

Celebrated directorial duo the Ross Brothers (BLOODY NOSE, EMPTY POCKETS and CONTEMPORARY COLOR) - who will be present for a Q&A at the 7pm Sunday show - turn their pioneering hybrid lens to the cinematic road trip with GASOLINE RAINBOW. Undoubtedly candid yet deeply loving, this is an expansive portrait of the new generation as told in their own words.

With high school in the rearview, five teenagers from inland Oregon embark on one last adventure. Piling into a van with a busted tail light, their mission takes them to a place they’ve never been — the Pacific coast, five hundred miles away. The plan, in full: “F*** it.” Through desert wilderness, industrial backwaters and city streets, they connect with outsiders on the fringes and discover their lives will be determined by the trails they blaze themselves. These are forgotten kids from a forgotten town, but they have their freedom and they have each other, hurtling toward an unknowable future — and The Party at the End of the World.

A SXSW and Venice Film Festival selection, GASOLINE RAINBOW is a mesmerizing ride depicting a wild and true coming-of-age. With a beating heart and an exuberant spirit, this rhapsodic look at today’s American West reminds us of the timeless joys of community.

The 7pm showing on Sunday, May 19th will feature a live, in-person Q&A with filmmakers The Ross Brothers and actors Tony Aburto, Makai Garza and Nichole Dukes! Moderated by Kathy Fennessy, President of the Seattle Film Critics Society.

4/4 stars! “The Ross brothers’ direction is romantic and, as expected, picturesque… Gasoline Rainbow feels like a living, breathing, laughing organism.” Peyton Robinson, RogerEbert.com

CRITIC’S PICK! “There’s an uncommon sweetness to this film, which is less about running away from something and more about discovering the road of life is littered with goodness, if you know where to look.” Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times