I think I was particularly prepped to watch David Gorman’s new film, America Unchained. In it, he decides to try to drive across the U.S. without shopping at chains for gas, food, lodging or car repairs, which are many since Gorman chooses a Ford Torino station wagon that limps through the journey. Since driving from New Jersey to Austin is so fresh in my mind, and having driven across the country several times in my 20s, my thought at the beginning of the film was “good luck, buddy” … as in, fat chance! Well, the devil is in the details in a film such as this. As our guide, Gorman is intent on showing us something about our own country and culture that many of us take for granted. There are several wonderful, unexpected moments and at one point, I found myself in tears at the closing of a soda fountain in Oregon.

I’m happy to be in Austin, where local business have banded together to make consumers aware of the value of such businesses, via the Keep Austin Weird campaign, though in trying to set up my new apartment, as when driving across the country, as Gorman discovered, shopping independently frequently means increased inconvenience and cost. The film doesn’t really give us any ways of balancing commitment to local business with a budget (the trip budget it discussed but seems unlimited in the film). What’s your favorite local, independently owned business?