From the Pink Archives: Before, the espresso, Sabrina Carpenter was a teen living off the road in her family's van in this indie darling.
"The Short History of the Long Road," premiered in 2019, long before the Disney alum poured herself some mega summer pop java.
Greetings from the Pink Archives!
This new addition to the Pink Among Men newsletter features our films, podcasts, and content from years past. Get nostalgic with us—ah, the memories.
Today, we focus on our conversation with filmmakers Ani Simon-Kennedy, Cailin Yatsko, and Kishori Rajan, who joined the Pink Among Men podcast in 2020 to discuss their film, “The Short History of the Long Road.”
One thing we know about ourselves here at Pink Among Men is that we have an eye for talent. Call it instinct or a talent of our own, but we know who is up and coming and how to find them.
More importantly, as producers, the talent we have an eye for has an eye for talent themselves, and boy, did these filmmakers really pick a T A L E N T to lead their film.
Even if you didn’t leave your house this summer, you heard Sabrina Carpenter’s mega-hit, “Espresso.” Dubbed the summer of ‘24 anthem, the single became the launch pad for her commercial success, placing her in a trio of female pop stars, including Charli XCX and Chappell Roan, who finally got their due this summer after years of hustling. At least, IMHO.
Carpenter’s career began when she was eleven years old, after she won a singing contest sponsored by Miley Cyrus, looking for the next Miley Cyrus. Go figure. She would accumulate a string of acting credits for the next few years before finding herself on the Disney channel in “Girl Meets World.”
Following, she recorded three studio albums, starred in the remake (that didn’t need to be remade - sorry, not sorry) of “Adventures in Babysitting,” and took a role in a play at the Pasadena Playhouse.
In 2018, it was announced that she was cast in “The Short History of the Long Road,” written and directed by Ani Simon Kennedy and produced by Kishori Rajan and Cailin Yatsko, who also served as Cinematographer. The cast also includes Steven Ogg, Danny Trejo, Maggie Siff, and Rusty Schwimmer.
The film follows teenage Nola (Carpenter), who has spent much of her life on the open road with her self-reliant father (Ogg). The two crisscross the country in a refurbished RV while doing odd jobs. A shocking rupture, however, casts Nola out on her own, and she makes her way to New Mexico in search of her mother, whom she never knew.
In this episode, I discuss the film's development from IFP Week to its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and how the filmmakers pivoted to launching the film during the COVID lockdown. Oh, memories.
The film illuminates themes of consumption, spending, and minimalism and beautifully portrays a community growing in popularity in the United States. To this day, I still get pushed #vanlife content on IG.
All jokes aside, I really, really loved this film, and I’m not just saying that because I consider the filmmakers friends. The visuals, the world, and Sabrina Carpenter’s performance have stuck with me all these years later. I often think of Nola and what she could be doing now. Maybe she’s even one of the hundreds of thousands of girls dancing to Espresso on TikTok.
The film is 89% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. What are you waiting for? You can watch “The Short History of the Long Road” on Amazon Prime and Peacock and revisit the Pink Among Men podcast chat with the filmmakers below:
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE OF PINK AMONG MEN ON APPLE PODCASTS.
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention that our #WCW segment from this episode features Project Paulie founder Nicky Bandera. Pink Among Men Productions is currently in post-production on a short documentary about the inspiring story behind Project Paulie. To learn more visit: https://www.projectpaulie.com/