Stillwater

What are you willing to sacrifice to protect your family? Would you give up your freedom? Are you prepared to unequivocally accept the consequences of your singular actions? Does your answer change if you are in a foreign country?

"a powerful and moving drama about self-discovery and the lengths to which we are willing to go in order to free ourselves from a crappy life that seems pre-ordained from birth"


These are just some of the many questions broached in Tom McCarthy’s new film, Stillwater, a powerful and moving drama about self-discovery and the lengths to which we are willing to go in order to free ourselves from a crappy life that seems pre-ordained from birth.

If that sounds overtly thought-provoking and is not really what you expected from a Matt Damon thriller, that’s because it is. More about human nature and the choices we make than it is an action-oriented Bourne thriller, Stillwater represents a nice change of pace for Damon and a much-welcomed return to form for the Oscar winning actor who has been in quite a slump over the past few years. He is excellent here though, as he gradually ingratiates his character to the audience with a salt-of-the-earth naiveté rather than with his usual blunt confidence.

Damon is Bill Baker, an unemployed oil rig worker who we eventually learn is a flawed man struggling to escape his own past. Once a drug addict and convicted felon, Bill travels from Oklahoma to Marseilles, France to visit his daughter Allison (Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine) who has been imprisoned for a crime she insists she did not commit.

When he learns of a new lead that could exonerate his daughter, Bill jumps at the chance to take matters into his own hands. Overwhelming cultural differences, language barriers, and the complicated France legal system, eventually lead Bill to divorced French theater actress Virginie (Camille Cottin, I Kissed a Girl), who is mother to adolescent Maya (Lilou Siauvaud) and who shows interest in helping Bill track down the man who Allison says is responsible for the crime she claims she didn’t commit. For Bill, it’s a chance to prove to his daughter that he can finally do something right, and for Virginie, Bill represents a father for her child and bandaid for her broken heart.Stillwater

Primarily set in the beautiful port city of Marseilles on the Mediterranean, Stillwater also takes place in the titular college town in Oklahoma, the cultural dichotomy playing out in a multi-layered fashion as Damon’s biscuits-and-gravy Bill grows – albeit ever so slightly – the longer he stays in Marseille. McCarthy is very careful with his depiction of the port city, mostly staying away from its more glitzy parts in favor of the gritty, rough and tumble areas of the multi-cultural neighborhoods. Think the pit in The Wire, only in France. This is not by accident as racism, crime, and poverty – in both Marseille and Stillwater – are major characters in the story.

Also featuring Deanna Dunagan, Idir Azougli, and Anne Le Ny, the Stillwater cast is absolutely superb, with standout performances from both Damon and Cottin who have us rooting for them by the end, in spite of their motivational – and philosophical – differences. But the standout of the bunch is Siauvand in her debut role as the young precocious Maya. Watching Bill and Maya teach one another the languages and culture of their native countries is absolutely precious and provides a much-need warmth and lightheartedness to counter the mounting intensity.

Stillwater unspools like a multi-genred smorgasbord. It is a fascinating blend of drama, mystery, crime procedural, romance, and fish-out-of-water adventure, as Bill’s relationship with Virginie and Maya – and his own daughter – strengthens. A genre-swapping, multinational story like this is an extremely difficult thing to pull off with so many moving parts and such emotional weight at stake, but McCarthy has shown a propensity for so skillfully weaving his way through such complex plots – see Spotlight. He does it again here with Stillwater, a well-acted, near-perfectly-executed deep dive into the complexities of human nature and all the ghosts that live therein.

5/5 stars

 

Stillwater

Blu-ray Details

Home Video Distributor: Universal
Available on Blu-ray
- October 26, 2021
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: English SDH, French, Spanish
Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; Spanish: DTS 5.1; French: DTS 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc: Two-disc set; DVD copy
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

The dramatic thriller Stillwater gets the 1080p home video treatment from Universal with a nice little blu-ray + DVD + Digital Code release.

This two-disc set comes in a blue eco case housed inside a cardboard slip cover and features both a 1.85:1 1080p and 720p transfer with a nice little accompaniment of bonus materials. Also included is a Movies Anywhere digital coupon.

Video

Much of the cinematography intentionally bathes everything in a warm setting-sun glow that plays nicely into the Marseille France setting. Sure, there isn't a lot of color as much of the imagery is muted down considerably, but that is by design to play alongside Bill's understated everyman persona.

There is little to complain about as far as the technical craftsmanship goes as details are always sharp and crisp with deep dark blacks in interior shots. Shots of the Marseilles countryside are absolutely stunning.

Curiously, the film is sourced in 4k, but Universal has not announced plans for a 4K UHD release.

Audio

Included are an English language DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, a Spanish DTS 5.1 track, and a French DTS 5.1 track. English, French, and Spanish subtitles are included.

There isn't a lot to write home about from an auditory standpoint. This is a dialogue heavy film, so much of the action stays front and center with appropriately handled ambient sound, in particular from a fireworks show that gets the sub and rears up and running.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • None

Special Features:

  • While there is no commentary track, we do get plenty of commentary from director co-writer Tom McCarthy in several brief featurettes. One gets into the film's characters, another into the locations, and the final one is about McCarthy and how he prefers to work on the ste.
  • An Alchemy of Viewpoints (05:17)
  • An American in Marseilles: The Locations of Stillwater (03:15)
  • With Curiosity and Compassion: Director Tom McCarthy (03:25)

Blu-ray Rating

  Movie 5/5 stars
  Video  4/5 stars
  Audio 3/5 stars
  Extras 3/5 stars

Composite Blu-ray Grade

4/5 stars

 

Film Details

Stillwater

MPAA Rating: R for language.
Runtime:
140 mins
Director
: Tom McCarthy
Writer:
Tom McCarthy; Marcus Hinchey; Thomas Bidegain
Cast:
SMatt Damon; Camille Cottin; Abigail Breslin
Genre
: Drama | Mystery
Tagline:
Secrets run deep.
Memorable Movie Quote:
Theatrical Distributor:
Focus Features
Official Site: https://www.focusfeatures.com/stillwater/
Release Date:
July 30, 2021
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: 
October 26, 2021
Synopsis: A father travels from Oklahoma to France to help his estranged daughter, who is in prison for a murder she claims she didn't commit.

Art

Stillwater