Running on Empty (1988): To Love is to Let Go.

Imagine your family being on the run, wanted as criminals, and they drag you along for the ride since you were a toddler. Changing identities and cities from time to time, all the way until you grow up.

That's Running on Empty in a nutshell. A drama film made in 1988 regarding a talented boy gaining independence and freedom from this runaway life caused by his parents, Annie and Arthur Pope. The parents were being hunted by the FBI for they are responsible for bombing a napalm factory in the 1970's in protest to the Vietnam war (which is inspired by the 1970 Sterling Hall bombing), and accidentally rendered a janitor blind and paralyzed in the process.

The family had been on the run. Changing location and identities as soon as they detect governmental agents in the vicinity of the town. Their eldest son, Danny (the main protagonist of the film) had been pulled into this life since he was two years old. His younger brother, Harry, shared the same fate as soon as he was born.



After once again escaping their previous location and moving into a new town (courtesy of the parents' friends from underground communities who had been supporting them since the incident), Danny and his brother enrolled in a new school, where Danny's talent as a pianist is exploited, a talent that is implied to be inherited from his grandmother. He could play brilliantly despite having no proper practice, and the only thing he used was a practice board that doesn't even produce sounds when pressed. His talent impressed his music teacher, which brought some unwanted attention.



By some weird twist of fate, Danny met Lorna, the music teacher's daughter, and both of them experienced mutual attraction. At first, Danny kept a lot of things about his life a secret from Lorna, but after realizing his dream as a pianist and his love for Lorna, he told her the whole truth. Surprisingly, she accepted all of it, and was even sympathetic, stating that it's not fair for Danny to bear the burden and run with his family for something he never did.



One day, one of Annie and Arthur's underground colleagues showed up in their town and visited them, trying to convince the both of them to rebel against the government one more time by robbing a bank. However, both parents were firm that this is not the path they want to continue on, and gave the colleague the boot.

Later, Danny secretly under the recommendation of his music teacher, attended the audition for the Julliard School, one of the world's most prestigious music schools. The judges of the audition were impressed by Danny's performance, and had expressed that they will accept him as soon as he can find his records. However, his previous school records were destroyed, for fear of being used by the government to track them down.

Annie eventually found out about his son's audition, for his music teacher asked her for his previous school records during a teacher-parent meetup. She was initially distraught, but she came to realize that she had to let her son go. And so she, despite the risks, called her father after years of silence just so she can arrange a home for Danny should the family leave him behind. She even decided to turn herself in as soon as the younger brother became independent.



However, Arthur could not accept any of this. He was adamant on the philosophy that "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link" and declared that as a family, they should stay together. He's too attached to his family that he couldn't bear the possibility of never seeing his son again, as any form of contact would alert the FBI.

At the end of the film, both Arthur and Annie heard from the radio that the colleague that had tried to convince them to return to being rebels had been shot by the authorities for attempting to run away after robbing a bank. While the family prepared to leave for the next town and renew their identities, both parents agreed to leave Danny behind for him to pursue his dream, providing him the freedom and the life he deserves. After a tearful farewell, Danny watched his family drive off, leaving him with his bicycle.

 

Overall, the movie itself was not bad. However, there is one aspect of the film that in my opinion deserves criticism: the lack of suspense.

 While the plot was supposed to be about a runaway family being pursuit by FBI agents, the film failed to convey any sense of urgency or danger regarding the situation. At the beginning of the film, Danny was tailed by FBI agents in two black cars. The FBI agents were wearing the stereotypical secret agent attire of black suits and sunglasses, which Danny spotted immediately and proceed to sneak back home with his little brother and casually telling his father about it. All I saw was an emotionally distraught family on a very tiring road trip, moving from town to town and settling down with relaxation when they believe that they are out of the FBI's reach. Even the ending scenes where they were supposed to leave the town in a rush after hearing one of their colleague's death under the hands of the FBI, it felt more like a "We're gonna be behind schedule for our next trip" scenario than a "We're gonna get caught by the FBI" event.

The elements of drama and emotion were however conveyed correctly. The stress between family members can be felt though the screen, along with the love and care the family members had for each other. The whole plot also conveyed the message: Should you wish to do something extreme and potentially harmful (bombing a napalm factory)  for the greater good (protest against the Vietnam war), it would only cause more harm than good as not only you fail to achieve the greater good, you made yourself a criminal.



The film also had a subtle message on the equality of gender roles. Danny signed up for two electives. One is music (obviously) and the other is home economics. We see Danny enter the home economics room, and witness him as the only male in the room. Even his Lorna is skeptical on why a boy is interested in cooking. The film itself acknowledges the stereotype and made a case against it. Seeing that this film was made in the eighties really reminded me how far social norms had changed over the course of decades, as certain gender roles and stereotypes (like how only girls cook and bake) are slowly becoming irrelevant, and are slowly diminishing as time goes on.



And finally, the most important message this film had taught is directed towards the parents: The final step of parenting, and the hardest parental love. To let go and allow your child to pursue their dreams independently should they wish to do so, no matter how hard it might be.

In conclusion, Running on Empty, while not exactly a masterpiece, is a morally enriching film that you can watch with your family during a boring holiday. Thank you for reading.