There is a moment near the beginning of Star's journey in American Honey where one of the many teenagers she is with says to her, "Hey, do you want to see something cool?" This is a thrilling moment for the viewer. Based on the world that we have already begun to experience, and the character actions that have seen between the people in Star's life past and present, she could be shown literally anything in the world. I had absolutely no idea what was about to happen, and what it is probably would have been pretty far down the list of endless possibilities. Later, after we spend a considerable amount of time in this world, there's a girl that is newer than Star. And the same thing happens in the van with that girl and it's not surprising, or charming, or anything anymore. That's the point in American Honey. At some point the escape is no longer an escape. We don't even want to be bad anymore.

I am extremely thrilled that Andrea Arnold was able to create this rich world to help Star, and all of us by proxy, arrive at that lesson. It's a wonderful story of self-discovery through others, through music, and through America.