Rose Byrne continues to prove she can quite literally flawlessly execute any given genre. Over the span of two decades, she has played a vulgar pop star, the daughter of a recently-deceased terrorist, a horrified mother, a frantic wife, an army medical doctor, and a duchess, among several many others. Now, Byrne gives one of the festival’s best performances as Amanda, a homeless Seattle mother living out of her car and desperately trying to find work. Co-writers Jonathan Keasey and Brant Boivon shine genuine truth on a very timely topic, giving Byrne especially great material. A harrowing and engaging take on the homeless epidemic in our country, Tow hooks itself to the heartstrings, and never lets go.
Amanda cannot seem to book a solid job to work her way out of living in her car. Over a long seven months, her 1991 Blue Toyota Camry has become her North Star. The longer Amanda goes without a place to call home, the further she drifts from her ambitious daughter, Avery (Elsie Fisher). Just as Amanda is about to snag a gig working at a veterinary clinic, someone steals her car. Inexplicably, it shows up again the next day, with a major caveat: a towing company has carted it away. Despite being the victim of car theft, Amanda cannot get her Camry back unless she pays money to release it that she does not have, and cannot make without the use of the vehicle. It’s an unfortunate conundrum, but Amanda becomes more convinced by the minute that the towing company has committed an awful crime against her.
Director Stephanie Laing displays a day counter starting when Amanda becomes untethered to her vehicle, charting a journey that mostly avoids the tragedy often associated with homelessness. Even sleeping on a bench costs money in Seattle. Fully without options, Amanda ends up at a church shelter run by the strict but soulful Barb (Octavia Spencer). The people who frequent the shelter could easily have been painted as villainous drug addicts; instead, they are portrayed as very real people. Nova (Demi Lovato) is three months pregnant when Amanda meets her, and Denise (Ariana DeBose) just appears to have fallen on hard times. Even a sneaker-thief (Lea DeLaria) garners sympathy. In trying to represent herself to fight in court against the towing company, twenty-four-year-old lawyer Kevin (Dominic Sessa), part of a nonprofit, wants to help her out. Amanda initially pushes him away—after all, her car is older than him.
As the days stretch to weeks and then months, Amanda slips into old habits. She’s only human, after all. How could she not be upset with missing out on family events, not seeing her daughter, or even being able to function in society as a seemingly normal person? She grows closer with Kevin, who promises to help her even after she steals his bicycle. For his part, Sessa makes for a youthful voice of reason in fighting against a broken system. These giant corporations will fight tooth and nail to avoid admission of guilt. Spencer also makes up the backbone of the road to recovery, with her Barb having a sweet backstory. Lovato only has a handful of scenes, but her “Merry Little Christmas” fits the movie like a glove. An eventual passionate courtroom speech allows Amanda room to finally say everything she has been holding back for months. Tow does not allow us to see the full picture of the trial, but only Amanda’s perspective. In a lesser movie, that might be an issue; here, it feels justified.
Tow shows that taking help whenever it becomes available isn’t a bad thing, nor is sticking to one’s guns and fighting for what’s right. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Why should the blatantly awful person who owns the towing company withhold a vehicle just because he has a bias against “bums?” There are always multiple perspectives to any given situation, and this special movie should help to open up important conversations. A chilling statistic about the actual number of people who live out of their car underlines this matter. We are more than our weakest moments. We are all just humans trying to get through life, and unfortunately some definitely have it easier than others. In showing Amanda’s journey, the hopeful tone of Tow might just help someone else escape their own worst case scenario.
Tow premiered at 2025’s Tribeca International Film Festival.
