Direction: Tom McCarthy
Country: USA
Tom McCarthy, the director of the acclaimed Spotlight (2015) and The Visitor (2007), returns with Stillwater, a fairly watchable drama with hints of thriller, featuring Matt Damon in the leading role.
An oil rigger from Oklahoma (Damon) takes an investigative journey to Marseille where his college-aged daughter (Abigail Breslin) is doing time for a crime she says she didn't commit. While trying to locate the presumed suspect in a dangerous neighborhood of the city, this single dad acquires a new family, forging relationships of trust with a theater actress (Camille Cottin) and her little girl (Lilou Siauvaud). But with his mission in mind and some little dirty secrets, will he be able to keep that connection strong?
Although carrying ambiguity at the heart of the story, the narrative is very direct and simple. This may not be a fast-paced tale, but it actually benefits from that, purring evenly in a quiet, depressive manner. The plot, which McCarthy co-wrote with Thomas Bidegain (A Prophet, 2009; Rust and Bone, 2012), Noé Debré (Dheepan, 2015) and Marcus Hinchey (Come Sunday, 2018), has its flaws, but even failing - sometimes in critical moments like the ending - it still provides something palpable, mostly thanks to Damon who embodies his character with inherent cheerlessness. In the end, Stillwater proves “life’s brutal” to be realistic.
