Stillwater

This is a thoughtful, knotty character study, albeit one nestled inside a polished, and less interesting, action thriller.

It seems Marseilles's immigrant population, as with Knox herself, are treated as mere casualties in Stillwater's grand vision. If only that vision had some substance to it.

The quality of the acting makes it easy to overlook how increasingly leaden "Stillwater" becomes - but not easy enough.

This is a man who has lost step with his times... but there is something touching about his earnest politeness and also something novel: when was the last time you saw a conservative blue-collar dad in a leading role?

It'd be more openly ridiculous, feel far more manipulative, if not for Damon's performance... [His] magic is in making a certain plainness, a near-anonymity, defiantly charismatic.

McCarthy's excellent, if sprawling, script is more interested in the humans behind the headlines and the messy ways people try to reconcile their grief and guilt after indescribable trauma.

The lack of genre identity does not always work in the film's favor. [Full review in Spanish]

Stillwater refuses to belittle and judge its characters, and challenges viewers to do the same.

Caught me by surprise with its fascinating journey of redemption, acceptance, & Beauty. Don’t get my wrong the movie evolves in ways I did not expect some for the better & some for the bad.

Stillwater is pure drama that turns into a crime thriller when you least expect it. This is Matt Damon‘s best performance in the last 10 years.