‘Bikes of Wrath’ film shows April 3 at CCA

Armed with an inordinate amount of self-belief, the cyclists set-off on their 30-day adventure with no training, no support vehicle, and as one member puts it best, “no real idea’,” states a CCA press release.

Burdened with trailers, musical instruments and camera equipment, the group set themselves the additional challenge of surviving on $420 (the modern-day equivalent of the Joads’ $18 in the 1930s) and whatever their musical performances yield.

Riding 90 kilometers a day, the journey along America’s iconic Route 66 takes them from the farmlands of Oklahoma to the blistering Mojave desert and countless places in-between; the diversity of landscapes only matched by the assortment of characters met along the way. It is through these chance encounters with everyday Americans that the cyclists expand on the novel’s central themes: Migration, inequality and the perceived land of opportunity. The group explores whether America has progressed since the book was written, discussing the wealth gap, immigration and the American Dream.

These vastly different small-town characters quickly become the central focus of the film, as well as integral to the group’s success, letting the cyclists into their homes, lives, and demonstrating the startling parallels of “The Grapes of Wrath” 80 years after its publication.

Notes the CCA release: “The Bikes of Wrath uncovers a deep insight into the human spirit and shines a positive light on America at a time when the world needs it most; all rolled into a unique, funny and life-affirming observational documentary filled with adventure, literature, music and human connection.”