American Honey

British filmmaker Andrea Arnold finds cinematic inspiration here in a group of young American drifters—the tattered, tattooed, often defiant, yet also seemingly aimless teenagers who lurk around places like Walmart. One is abused 18-year-old Star (Sasha Lane) who deposits her two younger half-siblings in the care of their disaffected mother before blasting out of Muskogee, OK, with a group of hard-partying rowdies in a white van, hustling questionable magazine subscriptions. Catching her eye, charismatic alpha male Jake (Shia LaBeouf) explains that, “We don't only sell magazines. We explore America.” Jake travels separately in a convertible with “mean girl” Krystal (Riley Keough), who manages the eclectic, almost-feral crew of surfer-dude Corey (McCaul Lombardi) and Star Wars-obsessed Pagan (Arielle Holmes). Writer-director Arnold works closely with cinematographer Robbie Ryan to create a scrappy, Diane Arbus-like, cinema-vérité atmosphere (displaying a somewhat disconcerting fixation on bugs) for nearly three hours, focusing on these disaffected misfits as they travel through the Midwestern heartland. Texan newcomer Lane exudes sexuality, eager to explore and experience intoxicating sensations, while LaBeouf personifies the sleazy, hotheaded con artist who will inevitably disappoint. An ambitious if also rambling road picture depicting a slice of Americana, this is a strong optional purchase. [Note: Blu-ray extras include a featurette with costars Sasha Lane and Riley Keough (7 min.), trailers, and bonus digital and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a small extras package for an interesting if sometimes scattershot film.] (S. Granger)