American Honey hits with the honesty of a documentary. It tells of a coming of age story of the only type of freedom one can afford when they cannot even afford to live. They escape. They run away, wild and free. Of course, terms and conditions apply. This is an American story after all. 

Star, of course, is the star of the film. I felt a honestly large amount of anxiety watching this because I didn’t want anything bad to happen to her. For someone who was dealt such a bad hand in life, every scene and every decision feels like a gamble. In capitalist America, those are the risks that must be taken, even if you attempt to escape the world of adult routine and responsibility. 

The film talks about manipulation in many ways as well as liberation while the young adults go state to state. The cinematography is stellar. It’s as vulgar as it is visionary. Modern as it is maddening. 

I write a lot of these reviews. Not many people read them. In most of them, I talk about how the American Dream is a lie. Or how it has died. Either way, it never existed for most of us. This movie proudly says that the old Dream is dead, but a new one can be made. It’s as sweet as honey.