Stillwater

Stillwater is a 2021 American crime drama film directed by Tom McCarthy with the produced by Himself, Steve Golin, Jonathan King and Liza Chasin, based on the script he co-wrote with Marcus Hinchey, Thomas Bidegain, and Noé Debré. It stars Matt Damon as an unemployed oil rig worker from Oklahoma who sets out alongside a French woman (Camille Cottin) to prove his convicted daughter's (Abigail Breslin) innocence. It is loosely based on the story of Amanda Knox, a woman who was wrongfully convicted of murder in Italy in 2007.
It premiered on 8 July 2021 in Cannes then 30 July 2021 in the United States. It was previously scheduled to be released on 6 November 2020, but it was later pulled from the schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was filmed in Oklahoma and Marseille, starting in August 2019. It received mixed reviews from critics.
== Plot ==
An oil worker in Stillwater, Oklahoma, named Bill Baker (Matt Damon) learns that his estranged daughter Allison (Abigail Breslin), while studying for a year in Marseille, has been falsely arrested, pending trial, and charged with murdering her friend and partner, Lina. He travels there to visit her in prison and discovers that she has all but exhausted her legal options. He moves permanently to France and struggles to clear her name, contending with the language barrier, cultural differences, and a complex and unfamiliar legal system based on the French penal code. He is aided by a French woman named Virginie (Cottin) and her eight-year-old daughter Maya (Lilou Siauvaud). As the pressure mounts, he must decide just how far he is willing to go.
== Cast ==
*Matt Damon as Bill Baker
*Abigail Breslin as Allison Baker
*Camille Cottin as Virginie
*Lilou Siauvaud as Maya
*Deanna Dunagan as Sharon
== Production ==
It was announced in July 2019 that Tom McCarthy would write and direct the film, with Matt Damon set to star. Abigail Breslin was added to the cast later in the month, with filming beginning in August 2019. Camille Cottin was added to the cast in September. Mychael Danna composed the film's score. It was filmed on location in Oklahoma and Marseille.
== Release ==
The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on July 8, 2021. It was theatrically released in the United States on July 30, 2021. It was previously scheduled to be released on November 6, 2020, but it was later pulled from the schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
== Reception ==
=== Box office ===
In the United States and Canada, Stillwater was released alongside Jungle Cruise and The Green Knight, and is projected to gross around $5 million from 2,531 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $280,000 from Thursday night previews.
=== Critical response ===
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 71% based on 94 reviews with an average rating of 6.5/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Stillwater isn't perfect, but its thoughtful approach to intelligent themes -- and strong performances from its leads -- give this timely drama a steadily building power." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 60 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported 63% of audience members gave it a positive score, with 34% saying they would definitely recommend it.
=== Amanda Knox reaction ===
Amanda Knox, on whose story the film is loosely based, personally denounced the film and its creators on Twitter for profiting off her wrongful conviction and for distorting the facts of her story. Knox said, "by fictionalizing away my innocence, my total lack of involvement, by erasing the role of the authorities in my wrongful conviction, McCarthy reinforces an image of me as a guilty and untrustworthy person." The film's Knox analogue has a sexual relationship with her roommate, which Knox did not have with Meredith Kercher, and is involved in her roommate's death, despite Knox's definitive acquittal in 2015.
Category:2021 films
Category:2021 drama films
Category:Drama films
Category:2021 crime films
Category:crime films
Category:American films
Category:English-language films