“The Oldest” focuses on the inner life of a girl forced to grow up too fast, longing to escape her stressful home life and just be a kid. It tells the story of addiction's impact on children, and the lonely world it creates. It highlights the gulf of difference between the heaviness of home life with an addict and the freedom of just being a kid. It’s also about a girl’s relationship with nature and how a big Iowa sky can hold you when you have no where else to go.