American Honey

People tend to hate something that is different, that is a fact. This movie is different, so do not expect to compare with any other movie. In my opinion if you watch this just for pleasure, you will enjoy the ride. The acting is so real, cinematography is great and also both lead actors. The plot is... there is not a real plot so just try to understand the message, try to be openminded and consequently try to love something different. This is not Twilight.

Andrea Arnold's "American Honey" is a bold and ambitious film filled with good performances, and for the most part I like this film, but boy does it have a ton of pitfalls. "American Honey" is repetitive, bombastic, overlong, and filled with unlikable characters, and most of the repetitiveness comes from these characters constantly listening to and singing to rap music in their white van. Sitting through 2 hours and 43 minutes of this film felt more like a chore than a cinematic experience. I'm looking forward to what Andrea Arnold has in store for us next, I truly am, and hopefully her next film won't be as preposterously long as this.

A young girl, named Star, with no economic abilities, bears the heavy responsibility of raising her two younger siblings.

Hungry after living the life of a teenager she gets attracted to a group of young people at a supermarket with high spirit and a bad attitude. She leaves her siblings behind and joins the group who lives from day to day selling magazines to whomever they meet. The common denominator is the selling of magazines. How to do it? How to manipulate the potential buyer with different kind of stories up the sleeve that is supposed to impose sympathy? As Oliver Twist is lured into Fagins lair and is taught to pick pockets without knowing what he is doing so is Star initially. At the point where she understands the rules and laws of the group, she is involved in such a way that she accepts the game and takes some very big risks and further compromises her own moral values.

The force of the movie is the depiction of the life on the road, the interaction between our marginalized young people and slowly getting to know our protagonist, who in the beginning is the silent observer and little by little starts to unfold her personality.

I can see that the movie is being criticized for being very long and not having a story that develops from a start- to an endpoint. I agree that some of the scenes are prolonged to a point that seems unnecessary. Besides this I think that this movie is a perfect example of how the truth often lies in the detail. This means that we need to dwell in some of the scenes and that the artistic challenge is to let this happen in a way that gets the audience involved.

Again I must express my deepest respect for director Andrea Arnold who has the rare ability to show a milieu in such a convincing way that it at certain points seems as if you are not watching a movie but instead a documentary but without losing the storytelling.

Regards Simon

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Been anticipating this film ever since I've heard of it. This is a well made coming of age film about hopeless youth who are on the go. The film really reminded me of Kids but with stronger focus on its core character and her experience. It also reminded me a bit of Spring Breakers so maybe its a Harmony Korine thing. Sasha Lane stars as Star, a young drifter on the run who stumbles across a gang of people who travel in a van and are in "sales" and getting money where they can to get by. You're immediately curious about Star's previous life and experiences but you start in the moment and go on the road with her. Sasha Lane is just starting and I'm curious as to what her story is because this role was second nature to her. She's great. Love him or hate him, Shia LaBeouf can be a force on the screen. He is most certainly one in this film. There is a charismatic nature to his character and his relationship with Star (through the rage and love) is very entertaining to watch. I wish there was more of Riley Keough in this. I'm a huge fan of her after seeing her in the very excellent The Girlfriend Experience and she was the main attraction for me to this film. I may be biased but she steals the scenes she's in. The confederate bikini and oil rub scene in the motel room is fantastic.

The film has some other really beautiful scenes. Star and Jake sitting on top of the car as the wind blows and the bright lights pass by; its so wonderful. The stage is set in southern America and you get a real sense of that world on every pit-stop. Not all the character's in the gang are fleshed out in this near three hour film but its hardly a detriment as not many of them are necessarily memorable. The film is heavy on soundtrack which makes sense as you take a car trip through the eyes of Star as she goes from place to place. The scenes during the day always look like its almost sunset. I think it adds to the grittiness and roughness of the American South. The camera is mostly personal and very zoomed on Star so you get to see the world through her first hand experience. I saw a message of how tough it is to set your life straight in a hard world and having to do whatever it takes to get by on a day to day basis. I think at its heart Andrea Arnold's film can be interpreted in a few ways but I saw it as the story of a down out of luck girl who will do whatever it takes to survive. Star potentially puts herself in dangerous situations in the film but she's just fearless throughout. Which takes me back to the curiosity of her past. To me, she's unfazed with what she's exposed to and can adapt very well. Once she realizes she can make it there's a moment of beauty as she takes whatever comes her way. She's always setting animals (and other people) free in this film because she seeks to set herself free.

The first thing I'd recommend is not to be daunted by the running length of the film. Also be prepared for more of a visual, sonic, and spiritual experience over a film that's plot heavy and focused. I enjoyed it just as much as I thought I would.

8/10

But it's well done and I like that it's dialogue was mostly unscripted and most of the actors are real people taken from the streets. It felt like a real dysfunctional road trip with some interesting characters. Pretty raw at times.