A One Mann’s Movies review of “Stillwater” (2021).
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
A degree of controversy surrounds “Stillwater” since director Tom McCarthy has admitted that inspiration for the movie came from the murder trial, imprisonment and then release of the accused American Amanda Knox. Knox recently made a dramatic tweet objecting to the film (without having seen it) forcing McCarthy this week to release a statement. He said…
“There were a few entry points that sparked the narrative, including aspects of real-life events but the story and characters within my latest film are all invented“.
Bet the lawyers worked on that statement carefully!
Fish out of water Bill in a foreign land. (Source: Focus Features).
Plot Summary:
Bill (Matt Damon) is an out of work oil worker from Stillwater, Oklahoma, whose daughter Allison (Abigail Breslin) is in jail in Marseilles for the murder of her lesbian lover of Middle-Eastern origin. Convinced of her innocence, Bill gains the help of local actress Virginie (Camille Cottin) and her young daughter Maya (Lilou Siauvaud) in trying to trace a young man believed to be involved but never traced.
But Bill, with just a few words of French, is a fish out of water in a city where it’s dangerous to ask the wrong questions in the wrong neighbourhoods.
Matt Damon and Camille Cottin living it up at the posh end of Marseilles. (Source: Focus Features).
Certification:
Talent:
Starring: Matt Damon, Camille Cottin, Abigail Breslin.
Directed by: Tom McCarthy.
Written by: Tom McCarthy, Marcus Hinchey, Thomas Bidegain and Noé Debré.
An example of George Steel’s marvellous cinematography. (Source: StudioCanal).
“Stillwater” Review:
Positives:
- Matt Damon needs to be the rock at the centre of the movie to hold it all together. The movie lives or dies on believing that he could be a God-fearing oil roughneck and all-round f***-up. And he does a really good job here in doing that.
- The script excels in a number of ways:
- it’s great in building, and in some cases destroying, the relationships between the characters. In particular, the portrayal of the pseudo-family that develops with Bill, Virginie and Maya is very sweet. A lounge scene, without dialogue, with each looking in turn at each other is glorious;
- the story isn’t handed to you on a plate, but your understanding of what’s going on evolves as you watch it;
- a twist in the story (no spoilers) is unexpected and savage, and requires real concentration to understand!
A big ol’ huggin’ bear. An emotional Matt Damon. (Source: Focus Features).
Negatives:
- Although I appreciated the leisurely introduction of the characters and their relationships, the film was a bit flabby in the telling. At nearly 140 minutes, I think its about 20 minutes too long.
- For balance and a different view, the illustrious Mrs Movie Man was very upset and cross about the treatment of Maya at one point in the movie. (There are clear repercussions though). And she wasn’t a fan of Abigail “Little Miss Sunshine” Breslin’s performance (although I personally though it was “OK”). She declared it to be a “Father Ted” movie!
Bill at the football… sorry, soccer match. (Source: Focus Features).
Summary Thoughts on “Stillwater”:
It’s billed as a “Thriller” and although it does have its moments of tension, it’s much more a drama reflecting a flawed father trying to make amends for his failures in the past. As such it might plod a bit for those looking for more of an action-oriented thriller. But I found it thoroughly absorbing overall, and a marked improvement on “Spotlight” by the same director (which seemed to garner praise and Oscar nods from everyone other than me!).
A curiosity for me is the rating for this one…. a “15” certificate in the UK for “Strong Language”. The BBFC rating info says:
There is use of strong language (‘f**k’) and milder terms including ‘bitch’, ‘shit’ and ‘ass’. There are brief scenes of moderate violence, scenes of threat, and undetailed suicide references. There is a brief sex scene with no strong detail. There are also sequences of discriminatory and racist behaviour, but such attitudes are clearly condemned by the work as a whole.
BBFC Ratings information, here.
I’d assumed that the “15” rating was due to the racist dialogue, present in one particular brief scene. But that seems to be a secondary concern to the BBFC. I’m sure they have word-tally counts. But, to me, there wasn’t enough bad language in this one to merit the rating: I personally think it should have been a “12A”. (Having just come out of “The Suicide Squad” – also a “15”, review to follow – there seems to be no comparison between the movies!!).
But overall this is a solid piece of movie storytelling, whether controversial or otherwise. And Recommended.
Trailer:
The trailer for “Stillwater” is here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cq1lPPeMUY.
