Stillwater, a film starring
Matt Damon, tells the story of a man trying to do the right thing by his
daughter, who has been convicted of murder and is serving a prison sentence in
a foreign country. This scenario clearly has echoes of the Amanda Knox/
Meredith Kercher real-life story (Knox was convicted of killing Kercher, won an
appeal, had it overturned, was then acquitted again and released). Knox herself
has objected to the film on the grounds that it exploits her life to make
money.
She probably has a
point, but the film does not slavishly follow the details of her case and in
any case, it’s focus is the father and daughter relationship rather than the
crime itself. This review therefore takes the film on its merits as a film, so
I will say no more about the links with real life.
When reviewing a film
or a television programme, my starting point is always whether it makes the
most of the chosen medium of visual scenes. This is often overlooked when a
book is brought to the screen, for instance, but is important in evaluating the
film. Before we focus closely on the scenes it offers, we should briefly mention the
wider themes it brings to our attention.
Themes
I have already
mentioned the parent/child relationship, in this case father and daughter, a
common theme in films. Although not the only one, this is clearly the pivotal
relationship of the film. A second important theme is that of someone trying to
operate in a foreign country whose culture is alien to them. This particular
slant, that of an American in France, is a well-worn staple of many films.
The third major theme
is that of second chances and redemption, not just for the daughter but for the
father. Finally, there is a man/woman relationship that slow burns its way to
romance.
What you won't see
It is also worth
mentioning what the film eschews. Although the plot driver is a crime and a
court case, there are no courtroom scenes or lawyerly arguments on display.
There is also a distinct lack of exposition. We do not see one character
explaining everything to another in detail. The facts of the case are
reluctantly disgorged by Matt Damon’s character, he never volunteers anything.
The role of the media, so pivotal in the Knox/Kercher case, is only briefly
discussed here, raised by the daughter. There is no depiction of whipping up a
media campaign to support release.
Matt Damon
What comes to mind when
you hear the name Matt Damon depends on your age and your tastes. For some, he
is still the mathematical oddball of Goodwill Hunting. Science Fiction fans
will think of The Martian and Interstellar, action aficionados will call to
mind the Jason Bourne character. For many, he is the wannabe con-man
desperately trying to impress the cool guys (Brad Pitt and George Clooney) in
the Oceans series. Other memorable films include The Talented Mr Ripley, The
Monuments Men and Invictus (he played the Springbok rugby captain Francois
Pienaar).
Just listing those
films gives an idea of the longevity and breadth of his oeuvre. Stillwater
marks another phase in this prolific career. Damon plays Bill Baker, who is not
cool, not an action character, but a flawed human being trying to do the right
thing (and make up for past mistakes). The best actors are prepared to move on
from the leading man/action figure stage of their careers and Damon makes a
good fist of doing that here. Sean Penn and Matthew McConnachie are other examples of actors embracing rugged and flawed as they get older.
Showing not telling
I began the review
talking about making good use of the medium and the way Bill Baker is
introduced is a masterclass in showing rather than telling. In the first couple
of minutes we see him working as a manual labourer, buying fast food, returning to an empty house, and being
interviewed for a job, thus effectively establishing his character; a man
living a lonely, unhealthy and insecure life. We then see him travel to
Marseille and check into a hotel. The reason for the visit is shown without
explanation, a visit to his daughter in prison. As seen in these opening
sequences, Bill is a methodical, taciturn, buttoned up character with a
traditional outlook (he says grace before his takeaway, even though there is
no-one else there) in short, a very American working-class type.
Relationships
His daughter, Allison,
has clearly inherited some of his emotional reserve. Their conversations are
stilted, inconsequential. Only when she hands him a letter for her lawyer do we
glimpse her desperation. With his checked shirt, jeans and baseball cap, he
looks like a fish out of water on the streets of Marseille. Luckily for him, he
finds an ally, the woman in the adjacent hotel room, whose daughter Bill helps
when she is locked out of the room. Virginie, played by Camille Cottin, is as
Gallic as Bill is American. She is bohemian, unconventional and, despite being
a single mother, still exudes an endearing youthfulness.
With his local ally,
Bill starts to make progress with helping Allison. There is an unwinding plot,
but the pleasure of the film lies in the building of the relationships. Little
vignettes show us Bill connecting with Virginie’s daughter Maya, he picks her
up from school, she teaches him French words for his tools. The film shows us,
and Bill tells us, he wasn’t such a great dad first time around. With Maya, he
is trying to atone for this, and beginning to succeed. With Virginie, he is
awkward, because he likes her. We learn that Allison’s mother is dead, and he
finds it difficult to envisage himself in a new relationship. Virginie is
giving out visual cues; she gives him her full attention and plenty of eye
contact, leaning in towards him and sitting and standing in ways that invite attention,
but he either misses them or is too scared to act on them. This one of the
strengths of film, it can show you the relationship between two characters
without resorting to words. This film conveys plenty by showing rather than
telling.
Bill’s relationship
with these three women in his life form the substance of the film, played out
against the developing plot of trying to free Allison and his attempts to
understand France. Success looks unlikely, whilst the absence of any flashback
scenes or detailed exposition means the audience never quite has a definitive
steer on Allison’s guilt or innocence. This lends an air of jeopardy to
proceedings; you are never sure whether Bill will achieve his aim. When Bill
goes looking for someone in the rough part of town you think: are you mad? Is it
because as an American he doesn’t see the danger or is just so driven by his
cause that he doesn’t care about it? At the same time the viewer is on his side
even when he is being reckless.
The director also uses
the camera to offer a strong sense of place, showing us the landmarks of
Marseille, including the coastline and the docks, as well as the different
street views. Some scenes are shot in quaint historic streets, others in the
vicinity of modern concrete ugliness of “downtown”, or as the French say, the “banlieue”.
All these visuals contrast with those of Oklahoma at the beginning, which are
all about wide open space. Marseille is about high density living and, to an
American, a sense of claustrophobia. As a multi-cultural city it is a long way from Stillwater Oklahoma in more ways than one.
So can Bill learn to
understand his new milieu? Will things work out for him and Virginie? Does he
find redemption through parenting Maya?
Will Allison win an appeal? You will have to watch the film to find out.
What I can say is that it is worth the effort. Damon is very good as the not quite
MAGA Bill Baker, Cottin is mesmerising as Virginie and Lilou Siauvaud
accomplished as Maya. This film may also make you thoughtful about racial
attitudes in Europe, pre-conceptions about Americans and about your own
relationships, with parents, with children if you have them.
Summary: is there redemption?
Finally, the other
reason I enjoyed it is that it is a film about people and relationships; no
guns, few special effects, no super-heroes, just flawed people trying to make
their way. It also resisted the temptation to provide a clean-cut ending for
Bill, with a Disney happy ever-after. Instead the key message at the end is of
coming to terms with life and appreciating what it gives you. I liked that. I thoroughly recommend this film; if you want
more about the Amanda Knox case, other reviews are available.
