They say that there’s a special bond between a father and daughter, but whether it’s more special that the bond between a mother and her son is unclear. But what we all know for sure is that they both trump that of the relationship between a father and his son, which can always be tricky.

Taking their relationship to the next level, if that’s even possible, are Ewan McGregor and his daughter Clara, who appear on screen together for the first time in this enjoyable road trip movie.

Driving his daughter (Clara McGregor) through a desert terrain is her father (Ewan McGregor). They have been apart for years, and he hasn’t seen his 20 year old daughter in some time, having split up with her mother.

He has since moved on and is with someone else, and has a child with them, but circumstances have thrown them together, with him just picking his daughter up from hospital that morning, suffering from a drug overdose. Having been an addict himself, it’s something he knows about, but he strangely knows his daughter less.

He’s taking her to an artist friend of his, as he knows she had a passion for painting once, hoping it may just be the distraction that she needs.

She obviously distrusts him, having been out of her life for such a large chunk of it, so their road trip together isn’t exactly a time for them to play happy families, as the pair almost have to build their relationship from the start again.

It’s always an interesting dynamic when family members choose to work together, and director Emma Westenberg’s directorial debut certainly benefits from it. There is an undeniable chemistry between them, giving their respective characters the kind of on screen relationship that can only be reached with a certain level of familiarity that comes from being, well, family.

It’s even interesting that McGregor keeps his Scottish accent, which is a rarity in itself, and his daughter keeps her American one. And the fact that it’s never addressed is also quite pleasing, as there’s no reason why a Scottish father can’t have an American daughter, as the McGregor’s are testament to themselves.

Westenberg’s debut is a confident one, knowing full well that the success of the film relies on the on-screen father-daughter relationship. But that doesn’t stop her having fun, it is a road movie after all, as the pair make their way through their desert journey, meeting the characters you would expect to pop up in a David Lynch/Wim Wenders cross-over. It certainly wouldn’t have been a surprise to see Harry Dean Stanton in a scene or two, if one of the great character actors was still with us.

It has a classic indie road trip quality to it, which Westenberg embraces throughout, creating the perfect quirky world for her characters to be reacquainted with one another again.

And kudos to the McGregors, who utilise their own relationship on screen proving that their particular bond is very special indeed.

Read our interview here with the film’s director Emma Westenberg as she explains what it was like to directed a big star- and his daughter – on her very first feature.