Hello readers!! Last week I attended an early screening of the drama Stillwater starring Matt Damon and Abigail Breslin. Damon plays Bill, an American that’s been traveling back and forth from Stillwater, Oklahoma to Marseille attempting to free his estranged daughter Allison (Breslin) from a French prison. Allison has been convicted of murder but has maintained her innocence and she hopes her dad will be able to convince the French District Attorney to open her case back up. Bill faces numerous language and cultural barriers. He tries to investigate on his own but he quickly finds out that his persistence leads down bad paths, like physical altercations with locals and run-ins with French authorities. His vain attempts push him further away from Allison but they draw him closer to a local woman named Virginie, who sympathizes with his plight and offers to help him. When Bill finds out new developments in his daughter’s case he has to make a decision on whether to tell the authorities or go full vigilante in a foreign country.

I was intrigued by the trailer but after seeing this once I can say I don’t see myself watching this again anytime soon. I definitely won’t be going to the theater to see Stillwater again. I didn’t think it was a bad movie but when the credits started rolling I was like “Seen it….I’m good”. I thought the character development and transitions were decent and the cast played their roles well but the story didn’t hold me. The middle act was too long in my opinion. I did find the relationship between Bill and Virginie’s daughter to be heartwarming and I liked that the film explored that however this movie didn’t need to be over 2 hours. If you’re a Matt Damon fan or a fan of dramas then check this out on a discount day. It was interesting to see Damon in this role. I watched some behind the scenes footage where he talked about the time he spent with Stillwater locals so he could build his character and have an authentic feel. I also found out the movie was loosely based on the real life account of Amanda Knox, an American who spent 4 years in an Italian prison after a wrongful murder conviction. Knox isn’t a fan of the film (she says the film is full of mistruth) but maybe you will be……

Check my video review here: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CR5LeUsj6Pi/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

CHEERS!
Migs Rodriguez