While it’s been touted as a “road trip saga,” American Honey might just be the most unconventional coming-of-age story I’ve ever seen, and not just because one of the main characters is Shia Labeouf in a braided ponytail.
Instead of entering the workforce in a more conventional job or entering college, Star, our protagonist played by newbie Sasha Lane, opts for something completely spontaneous and different. She sees Jake, the dirty, mysterious, motorcycle-riding man played by Shia Labeouf, dancing on a conveyor belt and getting kicked out of a grocery store – and she makes a life-altering decision. After literally running away from her unhappy relationship and the two children she takes care of, Star travels the country in a van filled with about a dozen other wandering youths selling magazines.
This may seem unrelatable, but the overall journey and experience of Star will remind you a lot of your own. This is completely different from the quarter system we have here at Northwestern and for most of us, myself included, the biggest “road trip” I take is the 201 to Old Orchard Mall.
While our literal experiences are different, Star’s just an 18-year old girl-woman, and I’m just a 19-year old girl-woman. Both of us, and probably you as well, are trying our hardest to figure out what it means to be an “adult” who has their life together.
There are many scenes during the film that make me nostalgic for youth, even though I’ve only ever seen some of this happen in movies. There are couples making out in the grass while the sprinklers get turned on. There is the middle school banter of “I don’t [want you]” from Star and Jake’s retort, “Yeah you do”. We even get a modern-day Cinderella moment with Star chasing after Jake to return his crystal-encased iPhone.
Despite the youthful aspects of the film, she, like many of us, is thrust into “adulthood” while still holding onto the past. When Star’s confederate-flag-bikini-wearing boss, Krystal, discovers Star’s age, she says, “So you’re a real woman now.” Many of us can relate to the newfound status forced upon Star because we have also reached that crucial “milestone” while still participating in behavior many would consider far from “adult.” I’m old enough to get into Rated R movies like Fifty Shades of Grey, but I still bring a blanket and some strawberry milk. Is that the “adult thing to do”? I have no idea because I don’t even really know what being an “adult” looks like.
Coming to Northwestern, the four-year plan I rigidly used to get accepted here was fresh in my mind, but immediately became obsolete. Star began her journey as a magazine seller traveling in a van of twelve people, and she realized just how little she actually knew about herself. When asked what her dreams in life were, she realized “no one's ever asked me that before”. While my trip was to volunteer at an animal shelter with Alternative Student Breaks, my journey here started in a van a lot like the one Star rode in. As I got asked about my high school, my beliefs, and even my dreams, I was at a loss for words. I didn’t really know who I was anymore or even what I wanted in life.
Star is at a crossroads from the beginning of this film to the very end. She’s stuck between being a child and being a functional adult, and that line is often blurred. Many of us Northwestern students can relate to that because we also left our homes, family, and everything else we knew at age eighteen for what that we hoped would become the best times of our lives and, supposedly, adulthood. A close friend of mine once said that she hoped that in coming to Northwestern her experiences would be different from the monotony of high school. She, just like me, Star, and probably you, were looking for something different to break up the routine of life. However, different doesn’t always mean good.
Whether we’ve been at Northwestern for three weeks or three years, we know that growing up is hard. While Star isn’t subject to the rigors of the quarter system, she experiences much of what we do in a broader sense. This includes learning a new culture and way of life, being jealous over a significant other, being betrayed by someone you care about and listening to basically every song you would hear at a frat party, except as a movie soundtrack instead.
Life isn’t all going to be glamorous and exciting, something that AmericanHoney manages to capture. From the very beginning, the perfect lighting and upbeat soundtrack are coupled by gritty scenes of raw meat, crowded motel rooms and unkempt hair. Star is forced to reevaluate her morals and values as she meets the harsh realities of the world and realizes the only person who can really save you is yourself.
While her life isn’t perfect at any point, it’s still good. In an ending that is reminiscent of Chopin’s Awakening, Star seemingly faces a tragic end via her final disillusionment of the world, but she resurfaces. She has a future, unclear as it may be. So do you.
If you want to see something real, something you can connect to, with all the heartbreaks, smiles, tears and excitement involved with growing up, AmericanHoney is a film you have to see.
The Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize winner, coming to Cinemark this weekend, was written and directed by Andrea Arnold.