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Surprised I couldn't find a post about this, as I'm fairly certain Andrea Arnold's previous movies have been discussed here. Anyway, saw this a few weeks ago and it's stayed with me more than I expected. This is her first film shot in America and she apparently decided to go with a semi-gonzo outlook, using many non-professional actors (insert joke about Shia LaBeouf here) and filming them as though the camera is part of a documentary crew embedded with the characters.
The movie follows a young girl (Sasha Lane) who's recruited by Shia's character to join a rag-tag team of marginals kids, who sell magazine subscriptions across America, while travelling in a van and sleeping in cheap motels. Nothing much really happens in the movie, and it is not short at 163mins but I thought this reflected the kids' lifestyle well. The acting definitely feels as reality-based as you'd expect from such a cast, and you can tell how gifted Arnold is at drawing out good work from them. Shia does a focused, simmering performance as Jake, and Lane's eyes are a wonder of expression, but the real star is Riley Keough as their hyper-capitalist leader Krystal.
Gorgeously shot by Robbie Ryan (who also put in great work in Slow West earlier this year), who makes great use of natural light. The soundtrack was perfectly picked as well, and is central to many of the scenes in the van in a very organic way.
I thought this movie seemed to capture what life can be on these kids' side of America, right at the edge of the mainstream. It's not devoid of flaws and I would've been interested by the racial and social aspects being explored more, but the movie gives you enough to chew on. ------------------------------
For the record, my teams:
MLB: Mets / Soccer: PSG
NCAA BB: Arizona / NCAA FB: Michigan
NBA: Spurs / NFL: Jets
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