Tumbleweeds (1999)

Mary Joe Walker (Janet McTeer) is constantly running from town to town in search of a new life (and escape her string of abusive ex's) with her 12 year old daughter Ava (Kimberly J. Brown). They begin to look in San Diego, when Mary Joe takes up with a controlling trucker (Gavin O'Connor) and fights with her weirdo boss (Michael J. Pollard). Dan Miller (Sanders) is a fellow co-worker who leads Mary Joe into a new direction in relationships. Although Ava has become used to the constant shifts in her life, she finds she is fitting in her latest school, especially when she finds out she has been chosen for a lead in the school play.