American
Honey
Dir: Andrea Arnold
Starring: Sasha Lane, Shia LeBeouf, Riley Keough, and Will Patton
There is a moment in director Andrea
Arnold’s film “American Honey” where a group of young people party around a
bonfire behind a hotel, you can feel the tension, the frustration, the anger,
and the confusion of youth in this instant, it’s one of the most genuine and
authentic moments of any film this year. The achievement of “American Honey”,
amidst a slew of imperfections, is that it operates to create these kinds of raw
and honest moments that you can’t help but be drawn into the world of
the characters.
Ms. Arnold composes this film in a very
authentic way, cameras on shoulders walking with characters, cameras sitting
next to characters as if you are part of the conversation, like a silent
character interwoven into the narrative. This is the method that defines
every step of “American Honey”, a rather long and many times drawn out
experiment developed through a group of young people making their way, somewhat
aimlessly, through the world.
Star (Sasha Lane) is a young woman
watching over her siblings, dumpster diving and hitchhiking in a small town.
Star is anxious and worn-out, she is looking for a way out of a life that
doesn’t display any sort of direction. Escape comes in the form of an enigmatic
traveller named Jake (Shia LeBeouf) who travels from state-to-state selling
magazine subscriptions. Star runs away and into the midst of this group of
travellers, who are all working for a woman named Krystal (Riley Keough) who
is queen to this group of wanderers.
“American Honey” can be a difficult film
at times. It’s a meticulous process, one that takes its time building an
experience. The fact that Ms. Arnold is patient enough as a filmmaker to let
things happen and unravel organically is impressive. She many times
finds the beauty in the most mundane of situations and places. With
that said, it also doesn’t work like it should many times throughout. The film
meanders from scene to scene, with images of Middle America as a
backdrop and the constant reminder of the socioeconomic divide
throughout America in the form of environment and with the characters
composing a road traveling family from different walks of life. When the
film succeeds, these aspects all shine in the very effective
ways.
It's easy to see that these young people
are desperate for change, but they are also complaisant when they find
something comfortable. You can feel the yearning for bigger opportunities
from them; their entire job as door-to-door sales people is based around
being the biggest "earner" for the company, an achievement
that comes with perks like riding around in a Mustang convertible and playing
the role of leader to the group. Shia LeBeouf's character Jake is this company
superstar, yet even in this sought after position Jake is still
unsatisfied. This remains a theme throughout for these young people. Will they
every find something that they are truly content with, something that
makes them happy?
Ms. Arnold does an exceptional job with
these young characters, many of them first time actors. In the
lead is Sasha Lane, an actress picked off the beach in Florida by the director,
who brings a fiery ambition and a lively energy to the role of Star. Shia
LeBeouf is the most recognizable name in the film, he is given plenty of room
to compose the dangerous character and the result is a mixed bag of emotions
which is exactly what the character is. One moment ready to risk everything and
the next firmly planted in a place of indecision. One of the best performances
comes from Riley Keough playing the opportunistic boss of the group. She is
menacing and compassionate, sometimes at the same time; a character that
feels pulled from another film, "Spring Breakers", that deals
with these same coming-of-age themes.
"American Honey", a title taken
from a Lady Antebellum song, is going to connect differently with each
individual person. Everyone has a different perspective of the world
because of experiences taken from the journey through it. That's what this film
ultimately is, a journey through environments with no clear ending or
easily explained theme. It's not so much about the destination but rather the
journey. Some trips are long and arduous, something you'd never want to do
again. Some are life affirming and rewarding, something you'll want to cherish
and recreate. The journey through "American Honey" will be a similar
path.
Monte's
Rating
3.50 out of 5.00
No comments:
Post a Comment