Terrific performances and a great score highlight Monuments, a wonderfully eccentric and haunting exploration of grief told through a midlife coming of age adventure.

This new film by Chicago filmmaker Jack C. Newell begins with a man on the run, as the recently widowed Ted (David Sullivan) clutches the ashes of his recently deceased wife Laura (Marguerite Moreau) in a desperate attempt to stay one step ahead of his overbearing Colorado based in-laws.

They have their own ideas about what to do with Laura’s ashes, but Ted is not having it. Never a fighter, Ted now decides to stand up and take matters into his own hands, taking an impromptu trip from Colorado to Chicago where he plans to spread Laura’s ashes in Field Museum. To make matters more complicated, Laura’s spirit tags along for the ride.

Ted’s road trip is as existential as it is physical. Portrayed by David Sullivan with a grounded everyday charm that hits both the dramatic and comedic beats needed to work, Ted undergoes a coming of age that is part and parcel with the grieving process, this lost soul finally given a purpose and direction that he manages to fumble with consistent hilarity.

Ted’s journey is one that takes him – and us – to unexpected places, Newell adding odd yet compelling and always entertaining detours along the way. One is set in a roadside bar where heartbroken souls drown their sorrows before breaking out into a dance to the Spike Jones classic “You Always Hurt the One You Love”.

Another music tinged segue see’s Ted and Laura meet a trio of white clad singers whose voices are quite remarkable. A bombastic, western-tinged score by Nick Takenobu Ogawa (42 Grams) compliments it all. If a soundtrack for Monuments is ever released, it will be worth buying.

Newell makes it all work: the eccentricities, the characters, the music, and above all the pain and growth that stems from grief. Monuments stands tall as a unique, entertaining, and moving film experience.