Tow Film Review: Raging Against the Machine

Stephanine Laing gives Rose Byrne the ammunition to shine in Tow, an empowering story about fighting against an unjust system. 

Where those affected by the housing crisis used to be labeled as “homeless,” there is a push to change the vocabulary to “unhoused” as a way to shift the fault off those affected and point out that the lack of affordable housing is the cause of the issue. The shift in vocabulary is meant to take away some of the shame around the lack of housing options and redirect the conversation in a productive manner. 

To categorize all unhoused people as lazy and at fault for their situation is ignoring the difficulties many face when trying to turn their lives around. In America, the legal and justice system does not always make it easy to turn a new leaf and often restricts the upward mobility of the lower class with tedious red tape and absurd fines. 

Stephanine Laing’s latest feature, Tow, tells the true story of one brave unhoused woman in the hopes of spreading a larger message of hope and perseverance during an unprecedented housing crisis. It masterfully paints a picture of the systemic indifference towards the unhoused community while giving grace and showing the resilience of a woman who was written off before she even had the chance to fight. 

The year is 2018, Seattle resident Amanda Ogle (Rose Byrne, of If I Had Legs I’d Kick You) is unhoused and living out of her 1991 Toyota Camry. She’s gone into debt while seeking a form of higher education in order to work in a veterinary office. With seven months of sobriety under her belt and the goal of ultimately reuniting with her daughter, Avery (Elsie Fisher, of The Summer I Turned Pretty), driving her forward, it feels like Amanda is on the cusp of changing her life. 

That is, until her car is stolen and ultimately towed upon discovery. When she goes to reclaim her car, she is shocked that even though the car had been stolen from her, she is expected to pay almost $300 to get it back. Since Amanda does not have the money, she makes a stand and takes the towing company to court in an attempt to get her car returned to her without having to pay this outrageous bill. During her fight for justice, she becomes embedded in the lives of a group of women within the local unhoused community, battles to maintain her sobriety and fights to reclaim the life she was trying to build.

On the surface, Tow is a celebration of one woman’s enormous strength. When Amanda chose to fight, no one took her seriously. The bigwigs at the towing company saw her as a problem they could find a way to push aside or even trample over, yet she refused to make herself small.

While her story presents as a testament to the power of perseverance, at its very core, this is a film about the power of vulnerability. When we first meet Amanda, she is relentlessly stubborn. She refuses to take anyone’s pity or accept anyone’s pandering sympathy. She just wants what’s fair. Her years-long battle with sobriety, coupled with understanding of how people look at her and the rest of the unhoused community, forces her to be incredibly self-reliant. 

When her car is first towed, she turns down the assistance of young lawyer Kevin Eggers (Dominic Sessa, of The Holdovers), who’s eager to help her as she is determined to settle things on her own. When she arrives in the church-run unhoused center, she doesn’t want to get involved with any of the women also staying in the center, even though they offer both guidance and friendship. Even in all the AA and NA meetings she attends, she declines all her opportunities to share with the group that is there to support her. 

She’s simply not used to people sincerely offering their help to her. When people learn she is unhoused, it is the only thing they seem to see when they look at her. The life she has tried to build, the career she is fighting to have and the relationship she treasures with her daughter all immediately get discredited because her circumstances have made it incredibly difficult for her to afford housing. 

Because of this, Amanda believes she must put on a show of brute strength in order to be taken seriously. Throughout the many trials she faces, she begins to see how admitting her needs and worries frees her in ways she could have never imagined. Amanda is able to ultimately step into her power by accepting the things that make her vulnerable. 

Rose Byrne is a pure force to be reckoned with as Amanda. She perfectly balances her strength with her reluctance to be vulnerable in a truly raw and moving way. Her ability to bring in light and moments of levity throughout the film allows for the story to gain a multitude of dimensions. Similarly, Dominic Sessa’s performance as the awkward but well-intentioned Kevin brings a sincerity and depth that grounds Laing’s story. 

Tow is much more than a story about a woman fighting to get back her car. It’s a story about the power of vulnerability, the importance of asking for help and the beauty that comes in seeing beyond people’s circumstances. With this film, Laing shines a light on a community that is frequently overlooked and dares its audience to grapple with the injustices of the modern housing crisis. 

Tow had its World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 7, 2025 and will be screened again on June 8-15.