Stillwater | Film Review

I will be honest, when my normal movie companion said, “Hey let’s go see Stillwater!” I was like, “great, 2+ hours of Matt Damon brooding for an entire movie, while we basically relive the Amanda Knox story. Oh yeah baby, sign me up – *Thumbs down Emoji*”! What I can say emphatically 2+ hours later is this; wow was I wrong. Stillwater, written and directed by Spotlight’s Tom McCarthy, was nothing like I expected. In fact, it is probably the best movie to pick on its opening weekend. That is, of course, if you enjoy 2+ hours of brooding Matt Damon. Ok, that may sound like a contradiction but stick with me.

For those unfamiliar with the Amanda Knox story let me set a little background. Amanda at the time was a 20-year old American student who spent almost four years in an Italian prison following her wrongful conviction for the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher, a fellow exchange student who shared her apartment. She was convicted after implicating herself and sentenced to 26 years in prison. Later, after new evidence emerged and the real killer was brought to justice, Amanda was released, cleared, and returned home after unjustly spending 4 years in prison.

Stillwater is none of those things. Sure the basic premise of the story is an underlying means for the production, but it is the very bottom layer of what is presented. First and foremost the character names are changed to focus on the Baker family made up of Matt Damon’s Bill Baker, the father, and Abigail Breslin’s Allison Baker, the daughter spending a 9-year sentence in a French prison for the alleged killing of her Arab girlfriend, Lina.

Originating from Stillwater, Oklahoma, the movie is clearly focused on the journey of Bill as we open watching him go about his daily routine after the events of the 2013 Shawnee, Oklahoma tornado. Bill is attempting to make ends meet after losing his job on an oil rig shortly after the passing of his late wife and Allison’s mother. Due to the tragedy, Allison heads to France to study abroad where she meets Lina and begins a romantic relationship with her. Later, she is then dumped by Lina causing Allison to spiral a bit regarding her past relationship.

This information is presented in a very quick way within the movies first 10 minutes as Bill prepares to leave for a visit to see his daughter in France, something he has become accustomed to over the past 4 years. Only on this trip Allison has received some new information that there was another person at the scene of the crime that night four years ago. If her dad can get her lawyer to present the evidence and get a DNA test to match that of the DNA on file, she may be able to be exonerated. The only challenge is that the lawyer has no intention to proceed further with the case, therefore Bill takes matters into his own hands.

Bill is one troubled individual with alcoholism, drug use, and the inability to connect with his daughter all swirling around his past. All that aside, he vows to do what he can for his daughter whom he believes is innocent. In order to prove it, he enlists the help of Virginie (Camille Cottin) and her daughter Maya (newcomer Lilou Siauvaud). Together as they chase down leads and interview people, they slowly become a family themselves with Camille taking the place of Bill’s late wife, and Maya becoming a daughter.

Matt Damon may known a thing or two about being a Bostonian, but he also understands the complexities of being a blue-collar Oklahoman as his mannerisms, deep brooding thought, “sir” and “ma’am” usage, and of course his constant prayers to the Lord make him an Okie through-and-through. He doesn’t quite nail the southern accent, but his presence and quiet demeanor truly showcase what it means to live that simpler Southern Plains life.

Contrastingly, Camille Cottin does a splendid job as Virginie, the working French actress type, yet still being grounded as a mother raising a daughter in the not-as-flashy as Paris town of Marsielle. Abigail Breslin brings an interesting perspective to the character of Allison, only having limited scene space to work with as most of her time is presented inside the visitor room of the prison. She gives a sense of believability but an almost she can’t be trusted vibe as well, which comes even more into focus when she is granted a day of recess from the prison. Lilou Siauvaud brings the character of Maya to life with her love of soccer and the sidekick attachment bond she forms with Bill throughout the movie. She also adds much needed comic relief to lighten the film enough from its very heavy undertones.

The music treatment for Stillwater presented by Mychael Danna blends the country songs of the South Central Plains but adding that French Riviera tone to them as Bill moves from scene to scene, trying to determine his next move. We are also treated to a classic Sammi Smith tune which plays a central theme in the relationship between Bill and Virginie. At 2 hours and 20 minutes, this one gets the official Troy’s “20 minutes too long” tag, however it was a pleasant surprise to sit in the space that Bill was in as he worked through his demons and challenges ahead.

Overall, Stillwater was more about understanding the choices we make as human beings, and if we can live with those choices or, will we learn from them to make different ones. Maybe sometimes it is best to potentially walk away altogether. It’s Bill’s journey to free his daughter but also a journey to find himself again after the loss of his family. When you finally get to the end, tell us if you think Bill learned anything on his journey. Let us know your interpretation and thoughts in the comments below. This is not a “did she or didn’t she” type movie, this is a story about whether or not her father will actually believe it when the truth is finally revealed.

Stillwater releases in theaters nationwide on July 30th, 2021
Starring Matt Damon, Abigail Breslin, Camille Cottin, and Lilou Siauvaud
Screenplay Tom McCarthy, Marcus Hinchey, Thomas Bidegain
Directed Tom McCarthy