Towopens with a harrowing statistic that strikes at the heart of America’s most public, yet casually ignored epidemic: 1-3 million people are vehicular residents. That meansthe true story of Amanda Ogleis not an uncommon occurrence, and Ogle’s efforts to recover her illegally impounded car — the place where she slept, and her only source of safety and meager comfort — boggle the mind with their cruelty and callous indifference. Similarly, her journey to restitution will floor you with an honest depiction of regaining humanity.
In Seattle, Washington, Amanda —played by Rose Byrne, in an award-worthy performance— brushes her teeth in the front seat of a blue 1991 Toyota Camry. She does her makeup and hair before puffing her morning cigarette. Amanda puts her belongings in a packed trunk before driving to an important appointment: She’s interviewing for a job as a veterinary technician. Amanda rambles nervously when asked if she has a college degree; she didn’t have a printer, so she had to manually update her resume, she says. The interviewer isn’t impressed, and an exasperated Amanda lets out her frustration.
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Amanda uses the bathroom in a local café, a place where she can charge her phone and text her teenage daughter. Avery (Elsie Fisher), a budding cosplay designer, lives with her father in Utah and has no idea that her mother is homeless. Amanda pretends that she’s fine, and promises they’ll be together by Christmas before returning to the slog of job hunting. The next stop turns out to be more promising, and Amanda is overjoyed when the manager tells her to come back on Monday at 9 AM. But Amanda will need her car to work, and her exuberance fades when she returns to the parking lot and discovers that her car’s missing.
Director Stephanie Laing (Tracey Takes On…, Veep, Irreplaceable You)initially portrays Amanda in the way that she sees herself: She’s not homeless, just down on her luck and going through a rough patch. But the illusion quickly fades as Amanda realizes that she needs hundreds of dollars to get her car back from Kaplan Towing. Where’s she going to go? Amanda has no family or friends to help her, and she continues to lie to Avery and herself about the gravity of her situation.
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Tow’ssecond act takes a sobering turn as Amanda roams the streets, sleeps on benches and goes to court to fight for her car. She continues to take umbrage when someone calls her “homeless,” but is on the verge of succumbing to the addiction that wrecked her life. Every bottle of cheap booze calls her name, and a church shelter becomes her only recourse asthe tough-as-nails Barb (Octavia Spencer)lays down the law. No drinking, drugs, or violence of any kind is permitted; break the rules one time, and you’re back on the street. A weary Amanda finally gets a respite, but this is just the beginning of a soul-crushing process that takes longer than she could have imagined.
Laing uses three brilliant cues to mark the passage of time. First, scenes are introduced by the number of days that have passed since Amanda’s car was towed. Amanda also journals about her experience with heartfelt candor, confessions that are juxtaposed with cut scenes of pampered pooches at the dog salon where Amanda works. Laing makes a powerful statement with biting humor: These dogs are living in luxury, while Amanda sleeps on a cot in a basketball gym. Amanda has hit rock bottom, and has to muster the courage to ask for help.
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The shelter introduces Amanda to other women who face similar struggles. One isAriana DeBose, who plays a recovering addict. Another is a pregnant Demi Lovato. Through them, Amanda learns that she’s not alone and can express her fears without judgment. Picking up the pieces isn’t easy, especially when it seems like the world is against you, but there’s strength in acceptance and community. These scenes hit like a freight train, adding a searing dramatic heft to the narrative.
Meanwhile,Towarouses the viewer’s ire by depicting the ugly legal tactics and feckless bureaucracy that make Amanda’s mission pure hell.Corbin Berndsen co-stars as the elitist lawyer for Kaplan Towingwhose cold indifference evolves into a vile quest to twist the knife through courtroom delays, subterfuge, and extortion. Laing illustrates Kaplan’s unnecessary ruthlessness to tremendous effect: Audiences will gasp when they see Kaplan Towing’s fees for Amanda’s 20-year-old beater, as a situation that could have been solved amicably is purposely drawn out to punish a homeless woman into submission.
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Byrne is extraordinary here, and her emotions run the gamut from emotional distress to a forceful resurgence. Amanda’s sorrow at getting hateful responses from her daughter feels real and bruising, as her past failures as a mother and her inability to admit her current problems lead to hurtful miscommunications. Still, Amanda’s embrace of others, and her own weaknesses, fuels an indomitable pursuit.
ButTowisn’t told with a sorrowful approach. Laing doesn’t want us to pity Amanda Ogle, and the humor and upbeat music work marvelously to temper the film’s horrible grievances. Ogle refused to let her car be taken away, despite being poor, homeless and a recovering alcoholic. Imagine what happens to people that don’t have her resolve and eventual support. How can America, the richest and most powerful country in the world, be considered a great society if these people are forgotten?
Towis produced by Samantha Nisenboim and Brent Steifel. It premiered as aSpotlight Narrative at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival.
