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The man behind the weathered baseball cap and bushy goatee, the parade of plaid shirts, and the polite “Yes, ma’am” responses is much more complex than his outward appearance would suggest. His pickup truck is filled with old-school country music as he drives between manual labor jobs, and he never fails to pray before a meal, no matter how simple it may be—tater tots and a cherry limeade from Sonic—but he’s more than just that. The fact that he keeps a couple of guns in his run-down Oklahoma home seems perfectly natural to him, and he never misses an opportunity to root for his favorite college football team on television.
However, there’s something simmering beneath the surface of this collection of red-state stereotypes, and “Stillwater” is at its best when it delves into the complexities and contradictions that lie beneath the surface. The role of a stoic character is played with great subtlety and pathos by Matt Damon, who is beefed up and sad-eyed throughout, especially when he cracks his stoic character open ever so gently and allows warmth, vulnerability, and even hope to shine through on his journey to redemption. But Bill’s story of hard-earned second chances is just one of many told by director Tom McCarthy in “Stillwater,” and while it’s the most compelling, it’s also the one that gets swallowed up almost entirely by the film’s insane third act, which is also the most compelling.
It is loosely based on the case of Amanda Knox, an American college student who was convicted in 2007 of murdering her roommate while studying abroad in Italy. McCarthy co-wrote the script with Thomas Bidegain, Marcus Hinchey, and Noe Debre, and it is directed by McCarthy. Knox was found not guilty eight years later. Allison (Abigail Breslin), Bill’s daughter, is introduced to us in “Stillwater,” which takes place in the French port city of Marseilles after she has already served five years of a nine-year prison sentence for the murder of her lover, a young Muslim woman.
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Allison is adamant that she is innocent, and Bill is convinced that she is. Thus, the film “Stillwater” is the story of a father and daughter trying to repair their damaged relationship as he pays frequent visits to chat and do her laundry while she pretends to be interested as he rambles on about Oklahoma State football. (The college campus is located in Stillwater, which happens to be Bill and Allison’s hometown.) However, as you’ve most likely guessed by now, the title also refers to our hero’s demeanor.) In “Stillwater,” each of the characters expresses the sentiment “Life is brutal,” and one of the more intriguing aspects of this film is the notion that being a screw-up is hereditary, which runs counter to the film’s desire to be a feel-good, Hollywood-ending film.
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But wait, there’s more—a there’s whole lot more. The possibility that Allison will be able to prove her innocence on the basis of jailhouse hearsay about an elusive young Arab man serves as the primary driving narrative in this story. As Bill knocks on doors and follows one lead after another, he begins to resemble McCarthy’s Oscar-winning best-picture winner “Spotlight,” as he tries to clear his only child’s name. He meets people who either help him or hinder him in his quest for justice. Accordingly, it is also about the racial tensions and socioeconomic disparities that exist in both France and the United States, and about the blindingly confident swagger with which some Americans carry themselves abroad, even someone like Bill who is humble and kind—to paraphrase a Tim McGraw song—even someone like Bill who is, to paraphrase another Tim McGraw song,
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And for a significant portion of its middle section, the story revolves around a middle-aged man who forms an unexpected friendship — and then a makeshift family — with a single mother and her young daughter. With the help of Virginie (a vibrant and charismatic Camille Cottin) and her daughter, Maya (an adorable and steely Lilou Siauvaud), the widowed Bill is given a second chance at making amends for his mistakes in the past. Virginie and Bill first become acquainted when she offers to assist him in his investigation by making phone calls, translating, and generally acting as his tour guide through an ancient city he has only recently become acquainted with. Despite the fact that their relationship appears to make no sense on paper (she’s a bohemian actress, he’s an oil rig worker), the small kindnesses they show each other allow them to forge a bond, and Bill is able to reveal more about himself and his tortured past, piece by piece. It may sound cheesy, but it is surprisingly effective.
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By far and away, the most compelling section of “Stillwater” is this understated dynamic and the quiet hope that better days are ahead. If the majority of the film had been devoted to this understated dynamic and the quiet hope that better days are ahead, it would have been more than satisfactory. The performances are lovely, and Damon has a particularly warm relationship with both Cottin and Siauvaud, which is particularly touching. However, as the story progresses, it takes a significant turn into darker territory, with twists based on major coincidences and reckless decisions. The film “Stillwater” also becomes a far less interesting piece of work as it drags on for an excessive amount of time. However, the way it plays out feels like it was ripped from an entirely different movie and pasted onto this one, despite the fact that Bill’s self-destructive streak has reared its head once more, even after it appears that he has finally found some peace. During this eventful stretch, there’s also a suicide attempt that’s thrown in almost as an afterthought, as it’s never mentioned again after it happens.
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At some point, the cacophony of all these plot lines converging, as well as the weight of the messaging being conveyed, becomes almost too much to bear for the characters. It is necessary to explain certain details and give characters their motivations when maintaining an overall air of mystery would have been far more effective in this case. It doesn’t matter whether Allison is guilty or not; what matters is that she is enjoying a moment of stillness and solitude in the afternoon sunshine, even if it is only for a brief moment.
The film is currently showing in theaters.
For more personality quizzes check this: The Unholy Quiz.
