Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong
It wouldn’t be TIFF if it weren’t divisive, right?  Andrea Arnold’s American Honey should play well to the Arthouse-craving Festival crowd, although we’re unsure how the mainstream might perceive it.
American Honey starts off by introducing us to our main character Star (Sasha Lane) and how fed-up she is with the daily grind. Whether that be her abusive and less than caring boyfriend or it be her sister’s children that she took upon herself to watch, there are things that she just wants to escape. Fast-forward a few days where Star, her niece and nephew are searching for food inside the local K-Mart and she meets Jake (Shia LaBeouf). Jake teases Star by trying to get her to join his band of misfits who sell magazines across the country. Star sees this as an opportunity to create a name for herself and she decidedly goes for it.
Both Lane and LaBeouf give incredible performances here. American Honey‘s main flaw is that the Movie itself never really gives enough insight to why Star continues down her path in order to keep us invested at two hours and forty-five minutes.
AMERICAN HONEY screens at TIFFÂ Sunday, September 11, 2016 at 5:15 PM at Ryerson Theatre and again on Monday, September 12, 2016Â at 9 PM at Scotiabank Theatre.
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