Americana

I think this is one of the great films of the year. 

Writer/Director Tony Tost takes a stab at writing about all the things he clearly loves, country and western music, crime thrillers, social issues, cowboys, native Americans and Robert Altman films. 

It features the one of the most evil households I’ve ever seen on film and Sydney Sweeney singing the praises of some of the great women of country music. 

Also, there’s a delusion kid with a bow and arrow. 

If you follow Tost online you will not be surprised by his interests but it’s still a joy to watch a flick that focuses on a part of America that isn’t New York or Los Angeles. I honestly hope I never have to sit through another movie about how wonderful or horrible it is to be in the film industry. 

The opening snatched me up and as it settled into the narrative found a nice balance between talking about Tost’s themes and winding through a twisty crime story. 

The violence, when it happened, actually knocked my audience around. Something in the way it was filmed or blocked or just that it was surprising. It wasn’t gory, and it wasn’t out of left field. I think it was just that Tost put the work in to make you care about everyone in the narrative even the smaller players. So when something hurts almost any of them it’s like you are punched in the face. 

To be fair there were a few people around who were only cannon fodder. But that was for late in the game and no movie has time to set up random bad guy number three. 

Sydney Sweeney is out on a ledge with a unique acting challenge. She succeeds but it ain’t easy. Halsey nailed it. We don’t spend enough time with Zahn Mclarnon but as always he excels. 

Paul Walter Hauser gets one of those Paul Walter Hauser roles where he’s a sweet but very dumb guy just trying to be loved. I hope someone gives him a meaty part as a rocket scientist in some future movie or television show. Give the guy a chance to show his range. But he’s very good in this and at this.

I hope Tost gets to do a lot more movies mainly because there are few if any filmmakers who are willing to look at these parts of America with love instead of contempt. 

Finally, I don’t know how much of this came from Tost’s childhood but if you pulled out his family album I would not be surprised to find young Tony in a photo wearing a wampum headband and carrying a bow and arrow.