American Woman – A Sparsely Thrilling Thriller

A very Canadian film about very American subject matter – can’t think of a better viewing for the week featuring the independence holidays of Canada and America…

The very minimal traction that American Woman has received through it’s 2019 run-through of the festival circuit was surprising to say the least – it was just quite odd to see a film that sounded so grand in scale with such a great ensemble to play to absolute radio silence. Unfortunately, upon viewing the film itself, it makes quite a bit of sense – as underwhelming is the most appropriate word to describe it. While there are certainly strong aspects that intermittently keep this film steady, they are just too far apart to have full investment into the very complex story.

American Woman definitely has a handful of standout elements that make the film quite thrilling at moments. One of those many things is its incredible ensemble – with a few standouts in particular. For years, Hong Chau has been an incredibly underrated character actor, and her shining performance here is one that deserves to be marveled at by audiences. Even when the story gets too convoluted, it’s still fascinating to see her so zoned into the role. Meanwhile, John Gallagher Jr. has had a similar reputation over the years, and his extremely vicious performance here embodies the harrowing nature of this era in American history so well. Many of the film’s period-piece-isms are done quite well here too and the way the film doesn’t overload itself with nostalgia creates quite the atmosphere.

Strangely enough, the greatest aspect of American Woman may also happens to be it’s downfall. There is a lot of ground to cover in this very politically intricate story. When the stakes feel high, they feel astronomically high. The moments in which the ensemble brings true fear and anxiety into their dialogue is definitely one of the film’s highlights. There are so many moments here that will leave viewers clenching their teeth, however, it’s quite obnoxious how spread apart they are. This inconsistency is quite jarring, going from absolute pulse-pounding tension to the polar opposite. The most disappointing thing, though, is how most of this takes on the latter. Additionally, at a runtime of 80 minutes, the film’s pacing make it feel both rushed yet also slow. In moments, the intricacy of the story feels skipped upon and underdeveloped, while in other bits, there are details being focused upon that don’t really deserve the time. More time surely would have allowed the opportunity to further develop these missed opportunities, making it much more satisfying in the long run.

For those that are particularly curious about the Vietnam War era of late American history, American Woman might be a worthwhile watch. For those that aren’t so much in the know, there are certainly other films that have a better focus that deserve your time more – even though the unique perspective and strong ensemble are quite impeccable. In the end, it’s hard to give an objective take on this one – it’s more of a situation where it’s about what you’re looking for.

still courtesy of Elevation Pictures

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