Roving Woman: Review

20th June 2022

Sara (Lena Gora) has been kicked out of her house after a massive argument which continues on the street. Clearly not taking no for an answer, Sara doesn’t care anymore and demands to know why she is being treated that way.

She’s wearing a nice dress and has perhaps been out for the night and the argument, although ambiguous leaves Sara alone and gives the audience the impression that she’s the one to blame and that she’s not being very gracious about it. Hitching a ride from somebody friendly, Sara finds herself at a diner and has come to a choice. She can either go back and try to figure out what went wrong, or she can hit the road and see where it takes her.

So, Sara steals a car and heads out as far as she can go. However, once Sara hears the music that the owner has left behind that he clearly recorded himself, she decides that he might be the one with the answers.

Roving Woman is the feature directorial debut of Michal Chmielewski which is co-written by Lena Gora. Starting out with Sara at her lowest ebb, the audience can’t help but judge her for her behaviour and her immediate actions. They must think she is a train wreck and the reason that she’s standing outside her house, screaming for attention is that she always has things her own way.

This is particularly emphasised when Sara steals a car, the audience may think that Sara is selfish at this point, thinking she can do and say whatever she likes. However, as time passes then the audience gets to know Sara through the way that she reacts to the things around her and the way she takes in the music.

Seeing Sara alone with nothing to lose and nowhere to go gives her vulnerability, so the audience may start to realise that Sara is just a woman going through the realisation that her relationship is over.

Lena Gora gives a great performance and often the best times are just with her alone in the car, giving her a chance to show Sara and who she really is. This gives the audience the best chance at getting to know Sara and perhaps feeling a little guilty for initially judging her. However, it’s not entirely clear where the story wants to go and what it wants to say about its lead. Although, given the ambiguity of Sara’s entire journey, it may let the audience think about what would happen if they were in her shoes.

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