The Royal Road

The Royal Road is a unique and thought-provoking film from 2015, directed by Jenni Olson and featuring the voiceover work of acclaimed playwright Tony Kushner. This film is a powerful exploration of both personal and collective history, seamlessly entwining elements of personal coming-of-age anecdotes with broader historical events. The film’s smorgasbord of themes, consistently threaded together by seminal moments in American history, is sure to make for a captivating viewing experience.

Most notably, this isn't your typical feature film with a distinct progression of dramatic scenes and a clear narrative trajectory. Instead, it operates more on the registers of visual essay and cinema-verite, as Jenni Olson offers a deeply personal meditation on identity, history and the alluring charm of nostalgia, with the unmistakable cityscapes of California serving as a visual backdrop.

Infusing archival research with digital film, the director, Olson, takes the viewer on an intellectual odyssey through the landscapes of her life, chronicling her journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance. A significant amount of the film is shot in 16mm urban landscape shots of California that gives it a touch of timelessness. The physical journey, dubbed "The Royal Road", is a pun on the historic trail of the same name that Spanish explorers traveled along in their quest for Holy Grail in north California.

American history plays a prominent role in The Royal Road, with the narrative frequently referring back to the Spanish colonization and the Mexican-American War. Despite the distance in time, Olson's film lends these historical events a certain weight and immediacy, underlining their continued relevance in the shaping of contemporary American landscapes and identities.

Adding another dimension to the historical discussion, the film also lightly touches on the realm of cinema history. Olson's discussion about classic Hollywood films introduces another thematic layer into the film: the complex intersection of fact and fiction, historical accuracy and narrative embellishment. The viewer will find references to various iconic Hollywood films such as Sunset Boulevard and Vertigo, bringing an intriguing perspective to the transmission of historical narratives through film.

Featuring a voiceover from Tony Kushner, the film utilizes his evocative script to animate imagery and other on-screen elements. Contextualizing the chosen landscapes and overlaying musings on topics including nostalgia, romanticized history, and identity formation, Kushner’s dulcet tones tie together all the strands of this introspective film.

Moreover, Olson's personal narrative of being a queer woman adds a strong emotional anchor to The Royal Road. The film uses this theme to draw parallels between the eras of colonization and the struggles that queer people endure. Through this, we're shown how these individual conflicts, while separated by centuries, both resonate with the notion of chasing an elusive, often romanticized 'ideal'.

In essence, The Royal Road is not so much about events happening on screen as it is about musing upon the layers of meaning embedded within landscapes and the past. It challenges the viewer to see cities and history with new eyes, to ponder the intricate tapestry of narratives — both personal and historical — that form our relationships with geographic spaces and help us understand our identities.

Viewers should be warned that this is not your average cinematic experience. The Royal Road is quiet and contemplative, encouraging the audiences to ponder on the quiet images and parsimonious narration. But for those who are keen on unique experiments in film and the exploration of complex, interconnected social, historical, and personal narratives, it is truly a cinematic journey worth embarking upon.

By engaging with the layers of meaning embedded within personal histories and landscapes, The Royal Road delivers a reflective meditation on the contemporary human experience. It is a testament to Jenni Olson's remarkable ability to craft vibrant visual essays and an excellent representation of 21st century innovative storytelling at its best.