Review: American Honey

Youth on screen can be a raw and powerful force. Films like Kids, Thirteen, and Short Term 12 have focused on young people with a certain unfiltered gaze. Enter in Andrea Arnold's sprawling and wonderful American Honey. Like a musical set to southern rap and country hits, the film's soundtrack is just as vital as the phenomenal ensemble cast.

At the center of the film is newcomer Sasha Lane. She plays Star, an 18 year-old who starts the film in a bleak existence. The film opens with her dumpster diving for food and then avoiding the leering looks from her mother's ex. She sees Shia LaBeouf's Jack and a bunch of peers dancing to Rihanna's "We Found Love" in a Kmart and decides she wants to join them. They sell magazine subscriptions while traveling the country. "We Found Love," like other songs in the film, becomes an anthem for this group of young adults. 

Arnold keeps the plot bare. The film mostly follows them from location to location where they get out the van they travel in and go door to door selling. In between, they hang out and listen to music and share things. The film has a loose feel to it and at 2 hours and 42 minutes, is not in a rush to get anyplace particular. This may frustrate some but the power of the film is in the time you spend with these kids. 

The soundtrack features a wide-array of styles. Everything from E-40 to Lady Antebellum to Springsteen is heard. What this creates is a grand sense of the time period in America in which this takes place. The music becomes a cord to the outside world of glamour and celebrity that these kids will never know. 

Lane as Star is an incredible presence on-screen. She embodies both the wonderment, fear and fearlessness of being young and free. LeBouf as Jake does a bit too much wardrobe work but is largely effective as a guy who uses and gets used in many ways. Riley Keough as Krystal is a standout. She is the manager of the group, setting up the jobs and trips. Her back and forth with Star is electric.

Everyone here has developed strong back-stories for their characters. We learn so little yet Arnold fills the film with close-up details shots of the jewelry and possessions of these characters.  She trusts the audience to pay attention to these and build the characters slowly. This is the type of film you sit back and bask in.

American Honey is one of the most alive pictures of the year. The film feels more like a documentary than a formal narrative. However there is a real story here and one with great power. The film is filled with memorable moments including a hilarious scene involving a rich Christian woman and her sexual-awakened tween daughter. 

The sign of any great film can be that it makes you look at your world with fresh eyes. After seeing American Honey, you won't look at street kids the same way. 

4.5/5