What does it mean to start a new chapter when it feels like your life is coming to a close? After her husband dies, 73-year-old Eva May (Priscilla Quinby) is facing an uncertain future as a widow. A year following the funeral, she has decided to pursue adventure, embarking on a road trip to Oregon with her granddaughter Stephanie (Stephanie C. Jones). As Eva May leads the way to her hometown, a place she hasn’t visited in over 50 years, her newfound impulsiveness forces the duo to open themselves up to new experiences and to each other. In writer/director Ray Nomoto Robison’s heartfelt drama The Eve of May, grandmother and granddaughter weather an unexpected journey as they face their demons and learn to embrace all that life has to offer.
Eva May is a woman in transition, trying to figure out how to fill her time in the wake of her husband’s death. Without the structure created by her marriage, her days are suddenly empty and without meaning, and thus, Eva May is in search of adventure. Every stop on the road presents an opportunity, a chance for excitement or a sense of purpose, whether it’s a new menu item at a diner or a hitchhiker seeking a ride. She’s ready to live life to the fullest, no matter where it seems to take them. In contrast, Stephanie is brought on the trip as a companion and reluctant caretaker, taking a break from her own life as she goes through a divorce. Her familial obligation becomes something entirely different as she discovers a side of Eva May she’d never met before. While her grandmother’s new lease on life is alarming at first, Stephanie begins to understand and appreciate her perspective as they step into Eva May’s past. Not a feeble old woman or a staid family member, Stephanie can see Eva May as a fully-realized person, someone who had a full and challenging life before settling down, and maybe even someone to emulate. There is compelling story potential in the relationship between Eva May and Stephanie, as they move beyond their set familial roles to find true camaraderie with each other.
Despite grappling with heavy subject matter, Robison has given his film a light touch, alternating sobering personal revelations with whimsical interactions. However, in trying to combine a poignant intergenerational family saga with a madcap road movie, it ultimately tries to tackle a lot of ideas without fully developing the connective tissue, leading to some tonal confusion. When we arrive in Oregon, the audience ultimately discovers that Eva May is caught in two different emotional arcs. She is trying to both revisit her past and chart a new path forward, but we’re missing some of the through lines needed to give those arcs the impact they deserve.
Sincere and empathetic, the script’s unhurried pace is matched by Killian Campbell’s editing, ambling with the women as they make their way on their literal and figurative journeys. The slow speed allows for some beats to land effectively, but in moments of high tension, the shots are given a little too much room to breathe, and they can feel long as a result.
Cinematographer Greg Franklin uses straightforward camerawork to capture Eva May and Stephanie’s story, alternating between handheld and static shots depending on the emotional tenor of the scene. Emotions run high, and the shots become more fluid as the camera becomes part of the action. We stay close, intimate shots of our leads periodically punctuated by simple yet lovely landscapes, capturing a warm yet muted backdrop for their northwest road trip.
Through the bulk of the film, Eva May’s palpable enthusiasm drives the action, Quinby’s bright grin and warm demeanor firmly affixed as she throws herself headfirst into adventure on their trip. While that excitement can feel a little broad, Quinby is strongest when Eva May allows herself to feel the complicated emotions that arise for her on the road. She strikes a restrained yet quite affecting note as Eva May tackles unfinished business in her hometown, working through years of love and pain to find catharsis.
The Eve of May is an ambitious and caring film about learning to re-embrace life. The film works best when it centers its sentimentality and the emotional connection forged between grandmother and granddaughter.
