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Director:
Danny Huston
Stars:
Danny Huston,
Sarita Choudhury,
Stacy Martin
In a small, blue-collar town in Pennsylvania, a 32-year-old woman's teen daughter goes missing and she is left to raise her infant grandson alone. The story is told over the course of 11 years, from the time her daughter vanishes, through the the trials-and-tribulations of subsequent years looking for closure, leading up the long-awaited discovery of the truth.
"American Woman" (2018 release; 111 min.) brings the story of Debbie, who lives in a small town somewhere in Pennsylvania. As the movie opens, Debbie, in her early 30s, is getting ready for a date. Debbie's 17 yr old daughter Bridget, who has a 1 yr. old son, helps Debbie. Debbie's sister Kat and her husband live across the street (literally) and are a welcome help in Debbie's daily struggles. A few nights later, it's Bridget's turn for a night out (with the father of the baby). When Debbie wakes up the next morning, Bridget has not returned home. It's not before long that a frenzied search is on for Bridget. What happened to Bridget? At this point we are less than 15 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this movie is directed by Jake Scott (son of Ridley Scott, who is a co-producer), best known for his prolific music video work in the 90s. This is just his third feature-length film, and what a movie this turns out to be! I know vaguely of the basic premise (daughter goes missing) but nothing more than that. Given the plot-heavy nature of this film, surely I will not say more of the plot in this review, just watch! Sienna Miller as Debbie gives one of her best performances, possibly a career-defining performance, yes it is that good! I had no idea going in that singer Sky Ferreira starred in the film (as Bridget). I loved Ferreira's debut album from a few years ago. Yes, much of the movie is pretty bleak, but I found this movie riveting and so powerful (I admit welling up on more than one occasion). In case you were wondering: the movie's title has nothing to do with the classic rock hit by the Guess Who (and later covered by Lenny Kravitz), and that song does not appear in the movie.
"American Woman" premiered at last Fall's Toronto International Film Festival, and recently received a limited theater release. The movie recently opened at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. I ended up seeing its very last screening on an early Thursday night, with just 4 people in the theater (including myself). Here's hoping that this movie gets the wider audience it so richly deserves as it is released on other platforms. I absolutely LOVED this firm and it's one of the best I've seen this year so far (and I see a LOT of movies). If you are in the mood for a bleak yet riveting drama or are simply a fan of Sienna Miller, I'd readily suggest you check this out in the theater (not very likely at this point), on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.
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"American Woman" (2018 release; 111 min.) brings the story of Debbie, who lives in a small town somewhere in Pennsylvania. As the movie opens, Debbie, in her early 30s, is getting ready for a date. Debbie's 17 yr old daughter Bridget, who has a 1 yr. old son, helps Debbie. Debbie's sister Kat and her husband live across the street (literally) and are a welcome help in Debbie's daily struggles. A few nights later, it's Bridget's turn for a night out (with the father of the baby). When Debbie wakes up the next morning, Bridget has not returned home. It's not before long that a frenzied search is on for Bridget. What happened to Bridget? At this point we are less than 15 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this movie is directed by Jake Scott (son of Ridley Scott, who is a co-producer), best known for his prolific music video work in the 90s. This is just his third feature-length film, and what a movie this turns out to be! I know vaguely of the basic premise (daughter goes missing) but nothing more than that. Given the plot-heavy nature of this film, surely I will not say more of the plot in this review, just watch! Sienna Miller as Debbie gives one of her best performances, possibly a career-defining performance, yes it is that good! I had no idea going in that singer Sky Ferreira starred in the film (as Bridget). I loved Ferreira's debut album from a few years ago. Yes, much of the movie is pretty bleak, but I found this movie riveting and so powerful (I admit welling up on more than one occasion). In case you were wondering: the movie's title has nothing to do with the classic rock hit by the Guess Who (and later covered by Lenny Kravitz), and that song does not appear in the movie.
"American Woman" premiered at last Fall's Toronto International Film Festival, and recently received a limited theater release. The movie recently opened at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. I ended up seeing its very last screening on an early Thursday night, with just 4 people in the theater (including myself). Here's hoping that this movie gets the wider audience it so richly deserves as it is released on other platforms. I absolutely LOVED this firm and it's one of the best I've seen this year so far (and I see a LOT of movies). If you are in the mood for a bleak yet riveting drama or are simply a fan of Sienna Miller, I'd readily suggest you check this out in the theater (not very likely at this point), on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.