Very loosely inspired by the Amanda Knox case of an American student convicted of murder while studying abroad Tom McCarthy's STILLWATER follows it's own path for the majority of his screenplay (co-written with a trio of writers). Not only is the action transported from Italy to Marseille, France, but the focus isn't on the imprisoned young woman here named Allison (Abigail Breslin), but on her single father Bill (Matt Damon). The other main characters are Virginie, a single French woman (Camille Cottin) and her young daughter Maya (Lilou Siauvaud) who befriend and assistant the American as he tries to find the real killer.
Bill's dogged pursuit of freeing his daughter may seem to have the makings of an international thriller, but, McCarthy is much more interested in creating a slow burn drama. Bill is an uneducated 'ugly American' who has a history of personal failure. He roams around sporting a trucker hat even after temporarily moving to France to work on his daughter's release. At one point, one of Virginie's friends bluntly asks if he is Trump voter. Damon gives a strong performance as the determined Dad, even if he chisel's down the rough edges a bit too much at times. Breslin is good as are the pair of French actresses. The final scenes are quietly powerfully played by the quartet.
McCarthy will never be considered a stylist, but, here, as in THE STATION AGENT, THE VISITOR and SPOTLIGHT he frames the actors well. Masanobu Takayanagi camerawork is solid in capturing the local color without being picturesque and Mychael Danna's score is effective without calling attention to itself. The movie could have used some tightening in the script and editing as the movie occasionally loses the focus of where it's going. Set aside the tabloid details of the true crime case and appreciate the understated presentation in STILLWATER.
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