American Honey (2016)

American Honey is a film about the bottom of the American dream. A bottom that it emblematic of the entire dream itself. Where the poorest of society try to make by, in an economy that has left them behind. Andrea Arnold fascinatingly shows characters reaching for hope in a situation they know is hopeless. Star, our main character, comes for the ride out of loneliness and longing for a family of her own, despite the fact that to stay apart of this family, she frequently debases herself. What we see in the micro, is reflective of what many people feel in the macro. Even though we the viewers aren't unfortunate enough to understand Star's plight, we know to a certain extent what it means to sell yourself short in order to get what you want.

Great performances from Sasha Lane and Shia LaBeouf. As a whole, American Honey is fascinating, but overlong and meandering. Many sequences could have been cut. We could have done without the two unnecessary sex scenes between Star and Jake, which if anything, pads this film out to nearly 3 hours. Worth at least one watch.