It’s Turkey-day here in the States and I was wracking my brain this morning to think of an appropriate film to feature. It needed to be something that represents elements of the holiday—gratitude,  family, moral character— I looked at my queue of films that are ready to be reviewed and I saw murder, perversion, a decapitated animal, demons and then murder again. Oh well, it’ll be a fun next couple of weeks at least!

But then, fortunately, I remembered this gem which made waves when it won a fairly high profile online competition a couple of months ago.  My Mom’s Motorcycle embodies delightful, personal storytelling at the highest level. Made for the “My Rode Reel” competition, the filmmaker and narrator Douglas Gautraud relates the story of how his mom came to own the titular motorcyle, and along the way he honors the remarkable legacies of his two grandfathers, his own growth as a man, and even throws a little social theorizing in about why we all like, facial hair, workwear and craft beers.

With quirky, object-oriented tableaus owing a debt to Wes Anderson, and editing that is as sharp as the dialogue witty, My Mom’s Motorcycle is a truly lovely way to spend  5 minutes this holiday. Hopefully, surrounded by loved ones and nice food,  it will spur to you to a similar epiphany as our man, Douglas here.