Actor Paul Dano makes an auspicious debut as director with this elegant and intimate adaptation of a novel by Richard Ford. Set in small-town Montana in the early 1960s, while wildfires are raging close to the Canadian border, the story focuses on 14-year-old Joe Brinson (Ed Oxenbould), who witnesses the erosion of his own nuclear family. His father Jerry (Jake Gyllenhaal) loses his position as golf pro and takes a remote job fighting the fire, leaving wife Jeanette (Carey Mulligan) and Joe to fend for themselves. Jeanette’s determination to keep their heads above water takes its toll on the family. Writers: Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan. Director: Paul Dano. (US 2018) 104 min.