“Rebuilding” (2025) pulls off the rare feat of being personal, contemplative, and emotional, even though it never dips into saccharine territory. That kind of achievement is perhaps only possible when centered around a reclusive, quiet character, and “Rebuilding” features one of the year’s best performances from Josh O’Connor. Despite the granular focus of its story, it’s never a film that feels undercut by its small scale, as the humble production values are the truest representation of the film’s characters and themes. Although the film reaches some surprisingly nuanced truths about the American West, it celebrates the mythology of legacy, family, and rebirth.
“Rebuilding” seems to understand that American culture is, by its very nature, a story of reconstruction and reassimilation, as the nation’s lasting achievements were built from the ashes of prior civilizations. It’s understandably a touchy subject that often launches into broader conversations about destruction and erasure, but in “Rebuilding,” this process of reconfiguration is both natural and beautiful. Even if the film was not intended to coincide so perfectly with the real wildfires that devastated parts of California, it serves as a powerful reminder of the attitude needed to move forward.
Although O’Connor has been most closely associated with his slick performance in “Challengers” and his disconcerting portrayal of the future King Charles in “The Crown,” he gives a captivating, believable performance in “Rebuilding” as the cowboy Thomas Jr., known to everyone by his nickname “Dusty.” After a wildfire destroys his ranch in Colorado, Dusty finds a community among a group of fellow survivors, who live within trailers and often share meals with one another. As he determines what his next steps will be, Dusty seeks to become a bigger presence in the life of his daughter, Callie Rose (Lily LaTorre), and ex-wife, Ruby (Meghann Fahy).
The tone of “Rebuilding” isn’t necessarily somber, as writer/director Max Walker-Silverman beautifully captures the sprawling, open land, which feels untouched by the forces of man. Dusty is the first to admit that the fire didn’t completely destroy his livelihood, as many of his material possessions and personal items were saved.
However, the fire burned down his property and eradicated the chance to start new harvesting, as the land is no longer fertile. Even if cowboys are by their nature nomadic, Dusty contemplates what he will leave behind. It’s a difficult concept to convey for such a quiet character who only occasionally engages in small talk with others, but the silence and gravity of O’Connor’s performance hint at the internal turmoil that Dusty faces.
“Rebuilding” moves at a patient enough pace that the interpersonal relationships between characters reveal themselves, as the dynamic between Dusty, Ruby, and Callie is quite unique. It’s the rare portrayal of a separated couple who seem to have no ill will towards one another, as Dusty remains a close companion to Ruby’s mother, Bess, played by Amy Madigan in her second extraordinary performance of 2025 after “Weapons.”
Fahy brings an assured maternal compassion to the role, which makes her dynamic with O’Connor all the more charming. Even if their relationship is no longer intimate, the mutual respect and compassion they show for one another reflect the “old souls” concept that “Rebuilding” plays into so beautifully.
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Much of “Rebuilding” is centered around Dusty’s relationship with Callie, who has wisdom beyond her years, even if she can’t quite understand the complexities of adult behavior. Dusty’s attempts to explain difficult topics like death, growth, and separation not only beautifully simplify existential themes for a child, but give him the chance to verbalize thoughts that have haunted his own mind.
A parental relationship is rarely depicted with such tenderness, as “Rebuilding” finds a surprisingly charming way to analyze the gaps in technological awareness between generations. In fact, the notion that Dusty would work for the betterment of his community whilst getting computer tips from his daughter is the priest’s distillation of the acceptance and evolution that the film centers on.
The film is in open dialogue with the legacy of American cowboys, as it is Dusty’s own daughter who questions if it’s a profession that still exists in an ever-changing world. Even if the quaint, hardworking attitude that Dusty has is one of his most endearing traits, the film also celebrates environmentalism as the characters reflect on the eternal nature of their land.
These conversations are sometimes specific, as the background on Dusty’s parents offers an explanation of his Scottish accent. They can also be more ethereal, as Dusty is forced to explain death to his daughter by reflecting on the rebirth of nature. The blue-collar background of the characters crystallizes how little choice they have in disrupting these natural processes, as they are bound by their circumstances to cope with the natural cycle of things.
The poignancy of the familial bonding scenes doesn’t mean that “Rebuilding” is entirely insular, as the community of Dusty’s fellow nomads offers an opportunity to show the multicultural heart of America’s horizon. Most touching is the relationship Dusty forms with Mali (Kali Reis), another survivor who is also coping with a traditional family moment.
Although the film leaves it open to intergenerational where exactly their relationship will go, the meaningful exchanges that Dusty and Mali share with one another are still rewarding. Perhaps the film’s most radical idea is that, in 2025, a community of characters from different backgrounds could find commonalities with one another, forging productive relationships based on mutual respect. Even if “Rebuilding” is optimistic, it doesn’t offer the type of straightforward, instantly gratifying solutions that would feel counterintuitive to its realistic approach.
Each individual interaction in “Rebuilding” is so generously crafted that the film finds a way to sneak up on its audience when it reaches its emotional apexes, each of which feels completely earned. While it could be easy for those without an interest in independent cinema to disregard it as “dull” or “pointless,” there’s no pretension in the reflective compassion the film has for a type of lifestyle that isn’t often depicted with such grace on screen.
Portrayals of Americana will often be judged against the quintessential example of Wim Wenders’ “Paris, Texas,” and there are moments in which “Rebuilding” reaches those highs. If films are, as Roger Ebert might say, “a machine that generates empathy,” then “Rebuilding” is what the medium was destined to be.
