Stillwater: a review

 

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.