British Film Review - American Honey

One of the films playing at the London Film Festival was American Honey, by Fish Tank director Andrea Arnold. The film is an interesting depiction of life in the Southern American states. It follows the life of Star, an 18 year old who joins a band of merry teenagers living in a state of constant motion as they move from suburb to suburb selling magazine subscriptions.

The premise doesn’t sound particularly interesting but the reality pays off well. The handheld shots in 4:3 aspect ratio mean that the audience feels very much like they are in the cramped minivan with the characters and they get to know them at the same rate as Star does, something which is rare in this era of fast-paced action films. The film is long, 2 hours and 43 minutes, but that time allows the audience to connect with the characters, even if at times the plot feels slow. There are outstanding performances from Sasha Lane and Shia LaBeouf, the former as a scared but defiant 18 year old and the latter as the seemly nice and caring man who recruits her. This film was the first time acting for Lane, and this gives her a rough edge which really works with the hyper realistic tone of the film. Lane's character, Star, is frustrating, she doesn't just play along to what those around her want. This allows her to be more complex than perhaps a typical female character would be, which is something that Arnold seems to excel at, as also shown by the character of Mia in Fish Tank.

Overall, the film is rare insight into the lives of working class people in America and I think an important insight, given the wide divisions opening up in global society.