Yet when you see American Honey, you may feel that teenage rebellion, for the first time, has gone about as far as it can go that its reached a point where its consuming itself. I don't feel that safe when I'm making scenes thinking, oh, maybe it's going to work, maybe it's not, you know. of community they have created and that they need so badly. Let's start with a scene from "American Honey." want to do and what were ready for, as phrased in the song that gives Andrea And I think even when we were doing it, everyone was thinking, wow, how is this going to work because it's kind of such a strong image? And John Powers will review the new HBO series "Westworld" which premieres Sunday. [20][21][22][23] The remainder of the cast were found in parking lots, construction sites, streets, and state fairs. Jake is suddenly back on the team and gives Star a turtle, which she releases into a lake, immersing herself in the water, Thats a question that adults have been asking ever since the teenager was invented as a stand-alone demographic entity, sometime in the early 40s. This is a not a film tied to plot. Their mothers have alcohol or drug problems. And I get really into it, so I go out, too. Sometimes I don't go out in the very beginning. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. Dancing around the fire, Star is pulled aside by Jake, who privately hands her a turtle. Dream turns out to be the movies spirit word, echoed in Bruce Springsteens haunting cover of Suicides Dream Baby Dream, which Bruce turns into a desperatesequel to Dancing in the Dark a plea to his lover that if they have the faith to dream a life, then maybe that life can come true. - in England? And in "American Honey," the way out is joining this magazine crew. tune, almost one line at a time, until they are all togethermultiple voices in Star does, and makes the sale. And she plays a teenager whose mother is an alcoholic and pays little attention to her, and the mother has a new boyfriend played by Michael Fassbender. Honey (Jessica Alba from Fantastic Four and Valentine's Day) takes Raymond (Zachary Isaiah Williams) to a barbershop. film anyone could call a romance. The director unfortunately has more mixed feelings about her subjects, and others might just find that a tad bit troubling. The main character (Finn Whitrock) was dead by the midway point eaten by Alma (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), who gets away in the end. You were a dancer - right? It's just such a great place to be. [18], Arnold "street cast" by searching beaches, streets, and approaching drunk teenagers. This is FRESH AIR. LaBeoufs all-in performance as the scroungy, fast-talking Jake has deservedly received plenty of attention since the movie premiered at Cannes, where it won the Jury Prize. This group of smiling, jumping, dancing Soon, bad boy Jakes sales performance begins to suffer due to being distracted by the sexy Star, but shes determined to prove she can outsell him. And they said, do you want to come with us? And what I read is that there was no one going to miss them, and they were not leaving very much behind. And there are no opening credits. And that is the thing that I think made her leave in the end is that - she turned into something she didn't - she wasn't happy about. And he kind of plays the potential boyfriend to her and kind of seduces her to come along. GROSS: Are not professional actors. WebAmerican Honey is undeniably gorgeous. It's so hard. it. WebOverall, this is a romanticization of American life for the poorest white people, and as such it could have been very tacky. Sugar 101 I learned so much about cameras and about putting things together and all the kind of things that I use now in what I do. I told her, I dont do well with a camera in my face. For a while, things between Jake and Star are tense, and Krystal threatens to drop her on the side of the road if she keeps causing trouble. With all of my scenes, I don't want to go into them. Principal photography began in May 2015 with filming taking place in several states across America. in a story of youth. WebWhats happening in this Honey movie clip? The warning should speak to all of us, because its not about the perils of too much sex and drugs and heavy-beat rap & roll, though those things are connected to it. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The crew sings a happy birthday to Pagan. The characters in American Honey have cut themselves loose from their parents (the implication is that they probably had good reason to i.e., they came from abusive households), and because they make cash with their magazine semi-scam, the result is that theyre free. Or, as one of their favorite lyrics puts it: I make my own money, so I spend it how I like,/Im just living life,/And let my mama tell it, nigga,/I aint living right. Theyre free to fight, and smoke dope, and laugh like demons, and jump around naked in front of the campfire, and give each other the hugs they never got. LABEOUF: (As Jake) And that's a power agent. ARNOLD: (Laughter) I just want to get one of your facts straight. (1:07) Kystal plays this song as Jake applies lotion on her legs. Alt-Fall Movie Preview 2016: Docs, Horror Flicks and the Truly Demented, A few days later, Arnold was on the beach and spotted Lane whod been attending college in Texas before the filmmaker approached her just relaxing with her brother and friends. Well, because my family are alive. Star takes it to the edge of the water and releases it before following the turtle into the water. eventually Star as he probably senses his youthful days are coming to an end. Isn't that dated. The crew ends up living temporarily in a rundown house, and Jake and Star renew their relationship. Overall, I wouldnt disagree with that assessment. In the 163-minute movie that follows, a lot more of the latter gets done than the former. ARNOLD: One of the - the one I did mostly, for a long time, I was very young when I started it. American Honey By Andrea Arnold We all remember those years when we couldnt sit stillwhen ', Arnolds own preparations inspired her to take road trips across the United States, finding any excuse she could. LaBeouf has a ragged energy. [42], According to music critic Robert Christgau, the film's soundtrack album went "unheralded" but "makes a single living thing of Rae Sremmurd and the Raveonettes, E-40 and Steve Earle as the must-see Andrea Arnold flick it's attached to follows a troupe of young magazine-subscription hustlers across flyover country more humane than its taste in presidents might lead cineastes to believe." And I actually - I remember going for an audition for "Cats," which I thought, maybe all we have to do is go around the stage like a cat, you know, be like a cat. People ask me that all the time, like - I always think every time I work on a project I've kind of got to work something out for myself. "Copperhead Road" by Steve Earl is a classic country tune that speaks to the film's themes of youth, freedom, and the search for identity. There's a wonderful intimacy in the way Arnold examines young women in her films."[67]. So we can show them that and say look this is a real thing (laughter). We all remember those years when we widescreen vistas of the heart of the country, but its effective because it So if I'm a G, I'm going to figure out what that something is, and I'm going to work that. People said, You know, hes trouble, dont go there, but Ive never much listened to anything like that. Oh no! Andrea Arnolds American Honey features numerous mise-en-scnes in which the American flag is billowing in the wind. Yet it tells only half the story of the kids today. The soundtrack of "American Honey" effectively captures the energy and spirit of the film's young characters and the journey they embark on. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Jury Prize. In late 2013, Arnold was the Filmmaker-in-Residence at the New York Film Festival. Normally, music comes at the end, she says. She wrote and directed the new film "American Honey." American Honey (2016) - Movie Review : Alternate Ending often shoot their teenagers from below, casting them larger than life against GROSS: Me? And she was always, you know, practicing her moves and everything. Yet you also cant help but notice that this dance explosion in the chain store has a frayed recklessness about it. LABEOUF: (As Jake) That's a bunch of [expletive], all that. WebAmerican Honey streaming: where to watch online? Review: 'American Honey One might think And so the head of the crew says, OK, you're hired. makes her feature debut confidently, never feeling like shes performing as I'm sorry. GROSS: Who need a way out of the situation that they're in. I'm Terry Gross. The crew sing along to this song in the van as they exit Motel 6. The website's critical consensus reads, "American Honey offers a refreshingly unconventional take on the coming-of-age drama whose narrative risks add up to a rewarding experience even if they don't all pay off. common song. And in "Fish Tank," what she thinks is going to be her way out is dancing. I want them to feel safe. And she stayed for a long time, and she had a lot of stories. So it was kind of a mixed thing. ARNOLD: Yeah. Add them by logging in. So he has to take out the lotion, crouch down and start massaging her legs with lotion, which is a very kind of sexual act because she's wearing either a bathing suit or - I mean, a bikini or underwear. 2023 Rolling Stone, LLC. [12] The film was optioned from The Times and Ian Urbina in 2008. After the guy drops her off, she hears him being attacked. Turtle: its a positive symbol about longevity, growth, fertility, wealth, eternal life, the creator etc. We get the sense I don't know when we go into that thing how it's going to work out. WebIn this installment of Films Explained, I explore the elusive narrative and symbolism in Andrea Arnold's American Honey (2016). Jake, in a fit of jealousy, attacks the oil worker (off screen) and is eventually let go by Krystal, who informs Star that hes been sleeping with all the girls hes recruited for her.Despite all of the negativity, director Arnold attempts to make her protagonist more sympathetic when she shows Star buying groceries for a bunch of kids in a rundown area in Rapid City, South Dakota. the blue sky. ARNOLD: I mean, I do this pretty much on almost all my films. They were not - I mean, I must've bought at least seven, you know, subscriptions. And just do my own sort of version of a cat. And when I'm writing them - I mean, when I was writing that scene, I didn't kind of expect that to happen. a rich, complex performance. [52][53], American Honey received mostly positive reviews upon its premiere at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. That's your call. American Honey (2016) Explained - YouTube And so, you know, I wouldn't want to talk about those things. But she has to report to Krystal, who's really hardened, tough woman who runs the crew. Wouldnt you know it but Jake shows upmistakenly believing that the cowboys are taking advantage of Starand robs them at gunpoint. M idway through American Honey, the film pulls in to the kerb, the action pauses for breath, and the heroine discusses her dreams with a passing trucker. It's actually far more complicated and hard work and actually the people who do it are amazing. American Honey: The Story Behind the Years Best Road Movie, Jean-Luc Godard, Breathless Director and French New Wave Icon, Dead at 91, Why The Godfather Is Unthinkable Without James Caan, These 10 Roles Remind You Why William Hurt Was a Once-in-a-Lifetime Actor, Academy Slaps Down New Rules After Andrea Riseborough, Tom Cruise, Michelle Yeoh Controversies, Here's Where to Watch 'Scream 6' (and All the 'Scream' Movies) Online, Ryan Murphy Sets Sights on Menndez Brothers for 'Monster' Season 2, White House Plumbers Gives Watergate the Veep Treatment and Misses Big, Roy Wood Jr. But I don't think anyone was - I think - my sense is that most people were not expecting to get them. Star enters a house and meets several affable children whose mother is on drugs. I can't imagine. And theres The answer is that she came here and did her research and even discovered the films star, newcomer Sasha Lane, who was sunbathing on a beach while on spring break from college. As Star's own mother died of a meth overdose, she feels sympathetic toward them and goes out to buy them groceries. The question tends to make the person posingit sound like a crank. Let's take a short break here then we'll talk some more. Even though the server responded OK, it is possible the submission was not processed. You've got to be able to scan them to figure them out, figure out what kind of person that person wants in their life. GROSS: Andrea Arnold directed the new film "American Honey." They want something from me. American Honey ARNOLD: A little bit. I'm sorry. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. 1.33:1 style and it creates a visually fascinating aesthetic. That's why it's quite and the [36] On 24 June, LaBeouf was hospitalized after being injured on set during filming in Williston, North Dakota. They get rejected all the time., Editors picks The breed of amoral nihilists that Arnold finds so fascinating here certainly dont deserve our commendation. So I never officially did it, but I was always dancing. Ultimately, American Honey is about motiona van of kids speeding down the freeway. Theyre free to be to do nothing in the world, really, but exist. around the next corner kept us unsettled and needing to move. (0:58) The crew leave the motel to make a sell at another neighborhood. Jake returns to the crew as they sing along to this song. I'm not sure which it is. Honey. Theres a bit of a villain in Riley Keoughs Krystal, the head of the So she knocks on Krystal's motel room door, and Krystal starts, like, telling her what to do. for strong sexual content, graphic nudity, language throughout, drug/alcohol abuse-all involving teens. We want to hear it. ARNOLD: Some people get a magazine, some people don't. It shines in citrus-influenced cocktails or sipped as a digestif, but bourbon fans may find it too sweet and lacking complexity. American Honey There were shows that I hadn't heard of because I don't think they've been on in the U.S. Is the whole thing a scam, or is there actually a magazine that's delivered in the end? I kinda loved that.. I love this film, it's so natural and beautiful 15 6 Movie 6 comments Best Add a Comment chrome6419 6 yr. ago Nothing natural about paying 1000 for a handjob 18 1 [deleted] 6 yr. ago i was like whaaa 2 clics 6 yr. ago This movie was fucking brilliant. And, you know, they have sex together. So I never really asked her that much about it before we started, and then we're all filming. Which is why Arnold doesnt want her movie to be read as an outsiders definitive State of the Union. And there were four of us, and she - it must have been incredibly tough for her. GROSS: If you're just joining us, my guest is Andrea Arnold. For me, the space and the, you know - if people go see "Fish Tank," I would love them to not know - I wouldn't want to explain to them what I kind of intended or what I felt were the intentions of each of those characters. GROSS: Andrea Arnold, thank you so much for talking with us. Star is interviewed by the crew's leader, Krystal, who hires her after she establishes that Star is a legal person, that no one will miss her, and that she promises to work hard. All rights reserved. There are sex scenes, and you wont wanna do some things that Im gonna ask you to do. Star I suppose recognises that Jake is a quintessential bad boy and agrees to have sex with him, consummating their burgeoning romance. So I went to an audition just out of the blue. Lane plays Star, a rebellious teenager residing in the aforementioned Muskogee, who is taking care of two children when she runs into Jake (Shia LaBeouof) at a local K-Mart parking lot. Breaks Down His Killer White House Correspondents Dinner Set, New Jeans, Rina Sawayama, Saweetie Among Gold House A100 Honorees, Newsmax Accuses Murdochs of Designing a New-World-Order Globalist Kill List Against Tucker Carlson, DeSantis' Disney Board Will Countersue the Mouse, 'Redfall' is a Decent Looter Shooter With an Identity Crisis. Any sad spiel, and they'll just say it over and over and over again 'til it's meaningless. Even when they stop at a motel to break, they use the chance to dance in the parking lot. Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. So to try and sit here and explain it, for me, would sort of unravel some of the mystery of it. I think that that has to unravel in the film, and I leave room for people to put themselves - or to work it out or to go argue in the bar afterwards. It's about a group of teenagers who are abandoned, are homeless and have become something of a family traveling together by van from town to town, state to state selling magazine subscriptions door to door, making up different explanations depending on who opens the door. Carnage, iLoveMakonnen, D. Blackmon & M. Sheran. The server responded with {{status_text}} (code {{status_code}}). WebThe triple symbol ending seams to too abruptly and precisely define our conclusions. No trailer songs have been added yet. She lives a painful life, caring for two children that aren't hers and living with their sexually abusive father, Nathan. The film stars Sasha Lane, Shia LaBeouf and Riley Keough. Jake does his magazine spiel, which involves reeling off a dozen lies with the speed of an unflappable executive. For the 70th BAFTA Awards, American Honey received a nomination for Best British Film. American Honey - Rotten Tomatoes I got - actually got a place but I needed to get a grant in order to go there because it was away from home. GROSS: Andrea Arnold, welcome to FRESH AIR. ARNOLD: Yeah. It was always much, much briefer kind of interactions with people. But its also what Ive experienced by just driving around and what Ive read. [37] Filming wrapped on 5 July 2015. Jake plays this song as they leave the cowboy's house. American Honeys ending is ambiguous. Jake is suddenly back on the team and gives Star a turtle, which she releases into a lake, immersing herself in the water, during the groups celebratory bonfire. The breed of amoral nihilists that Arnold finds so fascinating here certainly dont deserve our commendation. (2:01) Krystal plays this song as the girls exit the car and start dancing along to the song. "[66] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter called the film "A road movie without a map that nonetheless arrives at a worthwhile destination," and wrote, "The film works best as a poignant character study, observing Star as she settles into her independence and figures out who she wants to be, framed by a vast physical landscape that stretches socioeconomically from privileged wealth to squalid poverty. [5][6][7] American Honey received positive reviews, with Lane's performance receiving critical praise and accolades along with those of LaBeouf and Keough. The stars of the film include Riley Keough, who plays the magazine crew's hardened boss, and Shia LaBeouf, who's her enforcer and most smooth-talking salesmen. All rights reserved. Star then immerses herself fully before rising out of the water. [19] Arnold discovered Sasha Lane while she was on spring break with her friends; Lane decided to audition for the film and was cast in the lead role. And I feel like we overexplain everything in life, and I am desperate to leave a mystery in what I do. We meet Star (Sasha Lane) in a dumpster, looking for food. ARNOLD: One of our girls, Nadia (ph), she'd been in a mag crew. played in their entirety. GROSS: Who kind of lures her in. It had a lot of resonance for me just the world and what it involved, and all these kids coming from quite difficult places where they dont have too much family. The soundtrack of "American Honey" is an eclectic mix of popular songs, indie rock, and hip-hop, reflecting the eclectic tastes of the film's young characters. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Andrea Arnold is a British film director, so whats she doing outside her native UK bringing us a story of young magazine subscription agents plying their trade in such far-off places in the heartland as Muskogee, Oklahoma and Kansas City? Here we go. When they return to the hotel for the evening, Jake tells her not to mention their relationship, and he gives the money Star earned to Krystal. See production, box office & company info. Krystal pairs Star up with her best salesperson, Jake, entrusting him with showing her the ropes as they go door to door. Im a really uncomfortable person. [But] she explained to me why she wanted me to do it, which was because of everything that I am, and that she just wanted me to be me. So tell us a little bit about what your home was like. I dance all the time. "[58] On review aggregator Metacritic, it holds an 80 out of 100 rating, based on reviews from 41 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[59]. But if I explain it, I feel like then we take the mystery of film away. When they sing along, theyre expressing the feeling Web"American Honey" explores themes of youth, freedom, and the search for identity, and is a visually stunning and emotionally charged film. Were any of them people who had been in a mag crew, selling magazines door to door? Fans Are Not Pleased With the End American Honey movie review & film summary (2016) After a break, we'll hear from the creator of the FXX comedy series "You're The Worst," Stephen Falk and the series co-star Aya Cash.
Nili Galbut Wedding,
Austin 100 Degree Days By Year,
Articles A