Katie Says Goodbye (2016)

A kindhearted seventeen-year-old in the American Southwest turns to prostitution to fulfill her dream of a new life in San Francisco.

Director:

Wayne Roberts

Writer:

Wayne Roberts

Stars:

Olivia Cooke, Christopher Abbott, Mireille Enos

7 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Olivia Cooke	...	Katie
Christopher Abbott	...	Bruno
Mireille Enos	...	Tracey
Mary Steenburgen	...	Maybelle
Keir Gilchrist	...	Matty
Jim Belushi	...	Bear (as James Belushi)
Chris Lowell	...	Dirk
Nate Corddry	...	Mr. Daniels
Natasha Bassett	...	Sara
Alex Breaux	...	Steve
Gene Jones	...	Mr. Willard
MorningStar Angeline	...	Party Guest #1
Eric Steinig	...	Bill
Bernardo Saracino	...	Rodrigo (as Bernardo P. Saracino)
Mike Miller	...	Carl

Storyline

A kindhearted seventeen-year-old in the American Southwest turns to prostitution to fulfill her dream of a new life in San Francisco.

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Plot Keywords:

rape | love | prostitute | saving money | arizona | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Keir Gilchrist and Nate Corddry both starred on United States of Tara (2009).

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Goofs

[All goofs for this title are spoilers.]

User Reviews

keep hope alive

Greetings again from the darkness. This little gem played at the 2017 Dallas International Film Festival, and at that time, I wrote about how writer/director Wayne Roberts was one of the new and most exciting filmmakers to burst on the scene. Now, more than two years later, the film is finally getting the distribution it deserves, and I still worry there will be those who decry another film exploiting women as a victim of society. I also still stand behind my case that there is another way to view the story of Katie, a good-hearted dreamer played beautifully by Olivia Cooke ("Bates Motel", THOROUGHBREDS, READY PLAYER ONE).

Initially, Katie's unflappable optimism seems unlikely, if not impossible. She walks miles to work along a dusty highway. She lives in a trailer park with her deadbeat mother (Mireille Enos), whom she supports both financially and emotionally. She works double-shifts as a waitress at a truck stop, where she's known to toss in a couple extra bucks when a particularly frugal customer stiffs the other waitress. She also works a side job as a prostitute for locals and a regular trucker named Bear (Jim Belushi). Despite a life filled with *stuff*, Katie doggedly pursues her dream of saving enough money to move to San Francisco and become a hair stylist. Of course, since she's cursed with a heart of gold, she has to save enough money for her own trip AND for her mother to live on. Her dream seems lofty, yet almost achievable.

When Katie falls for Bruno (Christopher Abbott), the new guy in town, she tries her best to fall in love and pull him into her dreams for a better life. It doesn't take long before Bruno is made aware of Katie's side job, and her fantasy world begins to crumble. On a daily basis, Katie happily (of course) drinks up the truck stop wisdom of diner owner Maybelle (Mary Steenburgen), who spouts such gems as "A man with a smile will hurt you". Good intentions abound here, but we realize ... even if Katie doesn't ... that the reality of people's self-interest is the immovable object that so often tears down the dreamers of the world.

As with much of life, one's enjoyment of the film is likely contingent upon the perspective you bring. A caustic, cynical view will have you waving off Katie's lot in life as exploitive movie-making; while those who can share even a spoonful of Katie's spirit, will find themselves rooting exuberantly for her dreams to come true ... or at least to sustain her refreshing outlook on life and people. Director Roberts recently released his newest, THE PROFESSOR, starring Johnny Depp. He remains a filmmaker to follow.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 April 2018 (France)

Also Known As:

Katie Says Goodbye

Filming Locations:

Belen, New Mexico, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Parallell Cinéma, Relic Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Color:

Color