Feel-good honey bee sweetness

redeeming qualities, but all that they want is to be set free, and exist in nature.

Shia LaBeouf is arguably no longer a traditional movie star, doing films outside of mainstream culture, but American Honey proves why he keeps making movies, because, simply put, he has the talent.

Sascha Lane, playing the main character, Star, fully immerses herself in a role that requires charisma and attitude as the character could have easily come off as annoying or petulant.

Lane invigorates the role with enough personality that you invest in her story.

Arnold reportedly cast Lane after spotting her sunbathing during spring break. The young actress dominates the film and her chemistry with LaBeouf is intense.

Riley Keough is worth mentioning; her character, who is the head boss of the crew, initially feels shallow. Keough’s portrayal, however, actually gives insight into how much personality her character is showing. She comes across as conflicted, with the viewer able to sympathise for her often bitchy character.

The other characters all help support them, and the interactions feel authentic because of the great cast. Whether professional actors or not, Arnold pulls out fun performances from the characters, which only adds to the success of the film – one character is obsessed with Star Wars and another is keen on full frontal nudity and fighting.

The music is equally noticeable as the rap and pop sounds it highlights provide a constant soundtrack for their journey, with their initial flash mob to Rihanna’s We Found Love being especially evocative.

Andrea also imbues most of the sex scenes in the film with a sensuality rather than an explicit sexuality.

Despite the movie’s many admirable qualities, American Honey does feel like it goes on for too long. A 165-minute running time is somewhat punishing for this genre.

Even if it’s long, rambling and sometimes inconsistent, American Honey is also frequently beautiful and defiantly unique. If you like cinema nouveau films, then this one is worth the watch.

American Honey. Sasha Lane and Shia LaBeouf in