Coming fom the writer of Out Of The Furnace and the producers of Manchester By The Sea, this portrait of a blue-collar Pennsylvania woman wasn't going to be champagne and roses. While those films boasted well-rounded female characters, they played second fiddle. Here, Sienna Miller's Deb is the main attraction - in all her contradictory, pedestrian glory. Following Deb from 32 (a hot mess grandma) to 40 (taking control of her life), American Woman builds a rich picture of a flawed, recognisable female character. Deb dates unsuitable men while living with her teen-mum daughter, Bridget (Sky Ferreira), and baby grandson, Jesse. Her sister, Katherine (Christina Hendricks), helps when things go wrong - and they go horrifically wrong when Bridget disappears. But Bridget's absence is almost happenstance to Deb's tale of survival, as she weathers an abusive relationship to ensure Jesse has a home. It takes years for her to feel worthy of a decent partner. Maybe Aaron Paul's brickie is the one... You'll guess the outcomes, but what works is the slow-burn combo of convincing dialogue and Miller's unvarnished turn. She should be in the awards conversation - but the performances outstrip the film, so American Woman may not sufficiently linger in audiences' imaginations.
Review of American Woman
American Woman
(2018)
Coming fom the writer of Out Of The Furnace and the producers of Manchester
4 November 2019