THE ROAD UP
USA, 2020, 93 min
Directors: Greg Jacobs, Jon Siskel
Producers: Rachel Pikelny, Amy Ostrander
Editor: John Farbrother
Cinematographer: Stephan Mazurek
The Road Up follows four Chicagoans on the daunting journey from rock bottom to stable employment. Their lifeline? Mr. Jesse, a charismatic mentor whose own troubled past compels him to help his “students” find hope in the face of homelessness, addiction, incarceration, and trauma. Taken together, their stories form a powerful portrait of the struggles millions of Americans face every day in a precarious and unforgiving economy.
Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel are the co-founders of Chicago-based Siskel/Jacobs Productions. Most recently, Greg and Jon co-directed (with Danny Alpert) No Small Matter that explores the power and potential impact of early childhood education. Jacobs and Siskel also produced and directed Louder Than a Bomb, which follows four Chicago-area high school poetry teams as they prepare to compete in the world’s largest youth slam. The two now see The Road Up as the third installment of a kind of “accidental trilogy,” an ongoing story about poverty, inequality and isolation they didn’t even realize they were telling.
UP Close Intro by Director Greg Jacobs