this is the first time willem dafoe has not looked like the human embodiment of evil he was truly willem dafriend in this

“You know why this is my favorite tree? Because it tipped over, and it’s still growing.”

american honey jr

(but i also don’t wanna minimize this with a joke because??? it made me feel every emotion at once for a full 115 minutes)

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

Sean Baker's TANGERINE follow-up is an absolute barn-burner, brimming with life and noise and neglect and an all-timer of a performance by Willem Dafoe. Baker definitely finding his groove... endlessly smart move to flip the script on his breakthrough and apply the same energy to a gorgeously shot 35mm slice of Americana that reeks of POST TENEBRAS LUX for a reason. A movingly episodic story of the "missing homeless" living week-to-week in a godawful motel just outside of the Magic Kingdom, the film builds a remarkably comprehensive portrait of life on the margins - and the systems & cycles that keep people there.

35mm at Music Box (Sean Baker there in person)
Personally told Sean Baker afterwards that I wouldn’t just log it as “watched at music box”. He laughed! Nothing new to say besides I never noticed how great and smooth the editing is.

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

the most American
film of the decade??
I've been transformed
back into a small child.

once i was in an elevator with Willem Dafoe and i didn’t know what to say so when i got off at my floor i winked at him as the doors closed

so honest it almost hurts. the film equivalent of finding buried treasure

literal magic, blends american honey and sean bakers previous project tangerine in the most enchanting and immersive way possible. i can’t say anything else that hasn’t already been said, but i truly feel like a kid again.

The first hour and forty minutes were pretty good but floored at the last ten minutes. Just incredible filmmaking from top to bottom. Daddy Dafoe was amazing, I've gotten so used to seeing him in weird or quirky roles the past long time that I've forgotten just how good and how much empathy and power he has with his dramatic roles. Vinaite and Prince are also excellent especially in the final moments of the film. I honestly was hoping for a bit more from the first two acts of the movie, I was having hard time getting attached to the characters but it all worked itself out by the third. Great stuff.

Some family you choose, some family you get.

“You know why this is my favorite tree? Because it tipped over, and it’s still growing.”

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

This was great! Just 110 minutes of kids being kids and J. G. Jopling being a real personable chap at The Grand Budapest Motel. With the way Dafoe grabbed that pedophile I was deadass anticipating a vertical suplex. Was also expecting something way more tragic towards the end but nope. FeelsGoodMan. 

Couldn’t stop thinking about how it’d be an absolute field day to shoot film on a point-and-shoot at a location like that. The imagery and colours were dreamy af.

I just finished this and I am in tears. A visually and emotionally stunning film with outstanding performances and a massive impact. A24 has hits and misses but fuck this is a hit. Also quite refreshing to see Willem Dafoe as a nice guy, Bobby is so pure.

This is cinema.

I don't think I'm going to ever come around to this film. The almost universal praise is understandable - it's shot really nicely, has some good performances, and those who appreciate the vignette style will find a lot to love - but I just don't feel the same. Brooklynn Prince brings so much authenticity to this role and she's great, but the formless narrative and the punishingly slow pacing ruin this for me.

A great conceit and some gorgeous photography, but not a film experience that I either enjoy or appreciate.

Final ten minutes were OUTSTANDING. Superior/more contemporary "Killer of Sheep."

Cried

Very real. Feel like I was in Florida the whole time. Damn william dafoe is versatile.

i don’t have too much to say but the wide shots and lingering camera are so heartbreaking. the constant helicopter tours are such a perfect depiction of the drastic contrast of realities. the ending is weird, but i think it really ties up the mixture of joy and deep sadness that find their way into every scene. the childishly naive perspective hurts in its own way. it’d be easy to watch the movie and blame hailey for her circumstances, but every ounce of the movie begs you not to do that.

Finally saw it! (On Kanopy). Housing is a human right, Sean Baker.