What is an “all-American” family? Do you picture waving flags and pick-up trucks? Or do you think of a family who works together to keep their small business afloat during the height of the pandemic, even amidst the occasional racial slur thrown at them in the Wal-Mart parking lot? You will now.
The engrossing doc “Bad Axe” is named after Bad Axe, Michigan, the rural hometown of New York Filmmaker David Siev.
Siev returned home at the start of the pandemic to film his family’s struggles to keep their restaurant open. Their father is a refugee from the Killing Fields of Cambodia, who came here as a boy. Along with his wife, Rachel, and their four children, they work tirelessly to keep things afloat amidst Covid restrictions, mandatory masks and the would-be customers who refuse to wear them. They and many loyal customers in this small rural town love Rachel’s of Bad Axe, a bar and grill.
As fears of the virus grow, generational friction arises between the adult children and Chun, the family patriarch. Jaclyn, in particular is a vocal critic of her parents coming to work instead of staying safely at home.
Like the other kids, she’s as American as they come. They have those unmistakable flat, Great Lakes accents. And why wouldn’t they? They are lifelong Michiganders.
When the BLM (Black Lives Matter) movement takes center stage in America, the family uses its collective voice to speak out in their conservative community. This doesn’t sit well with some of the locals who send letters of protest threaten boycotts and in one scary development – follow the college age daughter as she drives home after closing up for the night.
But whole the film does show the ugly side of people’s behavior these past several years, it also brings moments of family joys and accomplishments: from finishing a college degree online at an empty restaurant table to welcoming new members to the family.
I’ll be honest, the last 5 or 10 minutes of this film had my eyes watering. I’m a sucker for good news in a family. And a family like this deserves nothing less. Sieve has made a film that is both specific to his family’s ups and downs, but also universal in its themes and story of American life. It’s easy to see why this was such a hit on the festival circuit. Stay for the post script updates in the closing credits for maximum emotion.
Bad Axe opens in theaters and On Demand November 18th Definitely Watch This Trailer!
