Josh O'Connor stars in Rebuilding

Dusty, played by Josh O'Connor, is the last descendant of a long line of cowboys. He is a quiet and reserved man, but with a kind heart.

He is the silent protagonist of Rebuilding, directed by Max Walker-Silverman and released in Italy on June 4, CE Report quotes ANSA.

Set to the rhythm of a slow and evocative country soundtrack, the film tells the story of Dusty’s gradual rebirth after losing everything in a wildfire that destroyed his family’s 50-acre ranch in Colorado. Forced to live in a temporary emergency camp alongside other survivors, he begins rebuilding his life from scratch.

Thanks to the destructive yet regenerative power of fire, Dusty slowly reconnects with his ex-wife Ruby, played by Meghann Fahy, and grows closer to his nine-year-old daughter Callie-Rose, played by Lily LaTorre. He also finds an unexpected sense of belonging among his fellow survivors, who gradually become his new family.

One of the film’s key lines comes from Callie-Rose, who innocently asks her father: “Can you still be a cowboy without cows?”

The director explained that the film was inspired by a wildfire that destroyed his grandmother’s home.

“It was both a tragedy and a kind of miracle, and that’s what inspired the film. However, it’s not journalism; it’s fiction. To me, this story is more like a fairy tale or a folk song,” he said.

Speaking about hope, Walker-Silverman added:

“I believe we all need hope. Sometimes it may seem naïve, and even I feel silly talking about it. But I’ve realized that hope is not just believing the world can become better—it’s fighting to make it happen.

Despair paralyzes people, while anyone who has changed the world for the better did so because they believed a better world was possible.

Hope is not something abstract; it is a very concrete choice. It is the choice to make our lives more meaningful and effective. We make mistakes, get back up, and try again. That is also the meaning of what I do as a filmmaker, and the meaning of this film.”

Explaining his choice of O’Connor, known for roles in La Chimera and Challengers, the director said:

“Josh deeply cared about the film’s environmental message and was willing to do something rare and courageous for an actor today: play someone completely different from himself, a very mysterious character.”

The film’s main lesson, according to the director, is that while places change, people can change too.

“Dusty can be more than a rancher—he can be a father, a neighbor—and that is enough. Sometimes loss is necessary to understand what we have. This is not a film about disaster. It is about what happens afterward. And what happens afterward, again and again, is love, care, community, and the desire to do better.”

Photo: IMDB