"One of the overlooked films in Josh O'Connor's incredible 2025 run is a small indie called Rebuilding, about a divorced rancher named Dusty who loses his land in a wildfire and ends up in a FEMA camp. The actor, born and raised in England, brings as much ease and conviction to that role as he brought to his beleaguered priest in Wake Up Dead Man, to his repressed folklorist in The History of Sound, and to his would-be thief in The Mastermind."
"It's hard to imagine two artists more attuned to those contradictions and complexities than Jake Xerxes Fussell and James Elkington, despite the fact that neither is any more Western than O'Connor himself. Fussell, the son of historians who traveled the Deep South before settling in North Carolina, conveys a sense of wonder that lends a cinematic quality to his reimaginings of old tunes."
"Rebuilding sounds like a true collaboration rather than just one of their solo albums without vocals. The pair, who previously worked together on two of Fussell's albums, sent ideas back and forth before meeting up to improvise as they watched the film. They cite Ry Cooder's score for Paris, Texas (a monument among soundtracks) and Angelo Badalamenti's compositions for The Straight Story as touchstones, yet their songs are less weird, more downhome and settled than those travelogue soundtracks."
Rebuilding follows Dusty, a divorced rancher who loses his land in a wildfire and ends up in a FEMA camp. Josh O'Connor portrays Dusty with ease and conviction, matching his work in varied roles. Max Walker-Silverman frames the American West as both beautiful and empty, alternating between sublime and suffocating visuals. Musicians Jake Xerxes Fussell and James Elkington created a modest, unpretentious soundtrack through collaborative improvisation. Their backgrounds in Southern travel, European folk, and Midwest roots produce sturdy reimaginings of old songs that sound modern yet timeless. The score nods to Ry Cooder and Angelo Badalamenti while remaining downhome.
Read at Pitchfork
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