The inspiring tale of a runaway foster child who will stop at nothing to live with the only family she knows: her homeless, mentally-ill veteran father who lives on the streets of LA’s skid row.
“Princess of the Row” captures a compelling father-daughter relationship within the context of modern-day America. Directed and co-written by Van Maximilian Carlson, and produced and co-written by Shawn Austin, the film weaves a poignant web, rich with carefully crafted images and characters across the strata of our existing social order.
Told through the eyes of twelve-year-old Alicia Willis (Tayler Buck), we learn that she bounces in and out of foster homes, while simultaneously trying to care for her father, former Sergeant Beaumont ‘Bo’ Willis (Edi Gathegi). In flashbacks, we see Bo telling delightful fairy tales to a younger Alicia, who he calls Princess. His gifts manifest in Alicia, a contest-winning writer of short stories, lush with metaphors about merry-go-rounds and unicorns.
Gathegi portrays the endearing father figure both before and after his war experience. Sergeant Willis suffered a brain injury in 2009 during the war in Iraq and now struggles with PTSD. His episodic condition animates him most noticeably when reliving his war experience.
Visited frequently by his daughter, Bo now lives on the street. Although he regains coherence only briefly and sporadically, when he does so, the scenes between Alicia and Bo are genuinely touching. We can feel the pain of a daughter longing for her lost father trapped inside the shell of the man before her. “I love it when you come back to me,” Alicia tells him. In a revealing moment of lucidity, Bo asks where the queen is – an apparent reference to Alicia’s mother. Alicia replies that the queen left after she drank an evil potion that she loved more than her daughter.
Bo’s plight is altogether too common, as the screenplay makes clear. Soldiers sent off to war find themselves largely abandoned upon their return. Trillions of dollars for weapons systems, yet only token pittances for rehabilitation. Not surprisingly, many veterans wind up on the street.
For most people, skid row exists only in the abstract. “Princess of the Row” reminds us that the reality takes the shape of a very tangible multi-block district in downtown Los Angeles. The setting, littered with abandoned or discarded members of society, offers a testament to a collective breakdown. Indifferent political and economic systems voraciously commodify not only material goods and the natural environment, but ultimately human beings as well.
As the story progresses, Alicia faces increasingly difficult constraints. Her Aunt Tammy (Tabitha Brown) lacks any patience for her niece, putting up with her primarily for the welfare money. Consequently, Alicia spends most of her time with Magdalene Rodriguez (Ana Ortiz), who runs a shelter for young girls. Magdalene understands Alicia’s potential and does her best to keep an eye out for promising foster parents.
Early on, we meet John and Carolina Austin, played by Martin Sheen and Jenny Gago, who have housed foster children for twenty years. John – a successful author – and Jenny live ten hours north of LA in a lovely coastal home. Prior to welcoming Alicia, these foster parents had only hosted boys. Though one might infer nefarious intent by Sheen, the explanation turns out far more affecting. Regardless, not long after arriving, Alicia flees back to Los Angeles to reunite with her father. Together they run away, dodging both government-sponsored pursuers and street predators in various guises.
Despite an undoubtedly meager budget, this motion picture boasts lively editing, crisp cinematography, and a solid score. The vast expanse of LA with its stark, impersonal skyline mirrors many of the detached and disaffected humans that also inhabit the landscape.
Without question, Tayler Buck shines throughout the production as the empathetic and conflicted Alicia. “Princess of the Row” is a heart-wrenching story that, in spite of tragic circumstances, celebrates the omnipresent possibility of hope. This well-crafted narrative provides audiences with a splendid example of indie filmmaking at its finest.
“Princess of the Row” just had its World Premiere at the 2019 Cinequest Film Festival
