At some point, when you’ve seen one road trip movie, you’ve seen them all.  Symbolic of life on the brink of discovery or relationships changing, filmmakers have used this national pastime as a narrative device to reveal emotional truths about characters on a journey that stretches beyond their destination.  The road trip genre has become a rite of passage for actors, covering titles like Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Thelma & Louise (1991), Tommy Boy (1995), and even Dumb and Dumber (1994).  Essential experiences like 1969’s Easy Rider and the Oscar-winning Rain Main from 1988 have gone a step further and examined the unexpected commonalities in seemingly disparate individuals.

If the films I’ve mentioned have one thing in common, they were all set in America, where traveling the sprawling expanses of the open road is more of a tradition than in other parts of the world.  I had to search for European road trip films, and even those results were scarce (2004’s EuroTrip is one of the more recent examples – eek!).  Europe’s winding country lanes set the stage for Black Dog, a new film releasing in the UK that gives the physical landscape of Northern England an often stunning showcase.  Written by director George Jaques and star Jamie Flatters, it breathes new life into a familiar set-up and, bolstered by tender performances, feels fresh and distinct in this moment.

Before Nathan (Flatters) entered the foster care system as a young boy, he attended the same school as Sam (Keenan Munn-Francis).  Now released from care, he hopes to reunite with his sister and her family in Scotland.  A rugged but carefree exterior masks the inner turmoil he lets few people see.  On the other hand, Sam is all pent-up emotion that he wears on his sleeve.  Ever since losing his wife to a long illness, Sam’s father has been unable to parent appropriately, leaving Sam to fend for himself but without any of the tools one gains from a stable role model.

A chance encounter on the street finds Nathan saving Sam from being beaten up by local brutes.  This random twist of fate leads to Sam’s impromptu invitation for Nathan to join him on a road trip north, a journey that begins as the repayment of kindness but delivers much more.  As they open up about their pasts and confront the issues simmering just beneath the surface, the young men discover that they share more than just the road ahead of them.

While American road trip films love to feature expansive shots of highways that go on forever into oblivion and sweeping fields of cascading crops, Black Dog embraces the more intimate charm of British landscapes.  The cramped quarters of Sam’s car as it makes its way through the rolling hills of the north country create the perfect environment for the men to have believable confrontations and confessions that might not arise under other circumstances.  Every mile counts here because it brings a greater understanding of where the other person is coming from.

Wearing multiple hats as co-writer and lead, Flatters delivers a deeply affecting and surprising performance.  He has good instincts on when to take the wheel and when to be the passenger, allowing Munn-Francis to shine in moments that feel genuinely earned.  There’s an authentic chemistry in their interactions that goes beyond what’s on the page, whether it’s the awkward energy of a friendship rekindled or the invading tension of unspoken truths.  Both have a raw vulnerability that isn’t played up or sold short.

Weighty themes are tackled, challenging notions of masculinity that feel brave and necessary, though I wish the script and the director had underlined these with a bit more resolution.  Even if it didn’t have all the answers, I appreciated that it was willing to introduce difficult questions subtly rather than sermonizing.  Perhaps by leaving some of these threads dangling, the filmmakers invite viewers to continue the conversation after the film ends.

When Black Dog eventually does cross the pond (no US release date is set yet), it will hit a sweet spot for audiences who appreciate the complexities of coming-of-age stories told with simplicity.  Flatters and Munn-Francis deliver performances that connect, though, making this a significant road trip.