Jeri Jacquin
Opening in theatres this Friday from director Jake Scott and
Roadside Attractions is a long mystery with AMERICAN WOMAN.
Supermarket cashier Deb Callahan (Sienna Miller) is living
her own exciting life in a small town in Pennsylvania
After a night out with boyfriend Tyler (Alex Neustaedter),
Deb is upset that Bridget hasn’t returned home. She begins looking and
discovers she had a fight with her boyfriend and visited a friend before leaving
on her own. The vanishing of Bridget sets her off the deep end not knowing what
to do.
The years pass and Deb is now with boyfriend Ray (Pat Healy)
and raising grandson Jesse (Aiden Fiske). Going to school she is trying to make
a better life for herself and the boy. At night she is on the internet looking
for any signs of Bridget. The truth is out there about Ray with his temper and Tyler
But it’s time for Deb to strike out on her own, even with
the shadow of her daughter constantly following her. It doesn’t stop her from
finishing what she started and celebrating with the family who is back in her
life. Then she meets Chris (Aaron Paul) and life moves forward as it should.
Yet there is still a mystery waiting to be solved.
Miller as Deb is a woman who definitely has had more lows
than highs. Her self-esteem is nearly nil and she is doing her best to raise a
young grandson that is smart and well aware of their situation. When her time
comes to find the answers she needs to know but is she ready to know.
Hendricks as Katherine is the worrisome sister who sees the
path that Deb was taking and once Bridget is gone, tries to stop the train
wreck. Deb doesn’t make it easy but that doesn’t stop Hendricks character from
making sure she doesn’t totally fall. Madigan as Mom Peggy wants what’s best
for her daughter but there are unresolved issues between she and Deb that
constantly flow out.
Paul as Chris is the one unexpected thing in her love that
begins to make her feel as if there is hope for Deb’s life. He is funny,
charming and enjoys the life that they create for themselves. But there comes a
moment when a choice must be made and once again it effective everyone that
lives in the shadow of Bridget.
Other cast include Will Sasso as Terry, Kelly Golden as
Jenna Cunningham, Bates Wilder as Detective O’Brien, Rachel Singer as Mrs.
Derrick and Kentucker Audley as Brett.
AMERICAN WOMAN is a slow paced film and in this case I liked
it for just that reason. This is a story of a life that is affected by one
event with a family left behind to pick up the pieces. The performances are
fantastic as Miller, Hendricks and Paul wrap around the story leaving us to
slowly pull it all apart.
The cinematography is just as deep and part of the mystery
as who stopped Bridget from coming home that fateful night. Watching their
journey is one of heartbreak, understanding and relentless hope that for once,
the ending could be what all of us would hope for ourselves.
It is the story of a woman who made changes in her life
according to events all the way up to a woman changing her life because she was
strong enough to do it for herself. It is life moving forward for the sake of
living and not on hold for a past you can not change. It takes the power of
moving past pain to make that happen and Miller gives us just that.
In the end – never lose hope!
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