'American Honey' captures the beauty, the ephemerality and the pains of youth in a way few films are able to do so. What differentiates Arnolds's work from other road-trip indies is that the film distills the experience of youth, with its emotionally resonant and realistic vignettes. This sense of realism is bolstered by the outstanding camera work from DoP Robbie Ryan, with each golden-hued image crafted with painstaking detail, creating a lived-in world that is almost palpable to the viewer. Together with its lovely performances, 'American Honey' paints a canvas of American youth and modern day America, a tableau that is as beautiful as it is ugly. However, the film is not without its flaws, with its luxuriant 163 minute running time making it a difficult watch at times, in spite of Sasha Lane's riveting central performance.