American Fable

Thought this was a wonderful film, visually and atmospherically. The characters were excellent, both the likable and the not-so-likable (like the brother and the 'villain'), and the storyline was gripping and evocative. The only problem for me was the ending, or lack of it - too much was left unexplained which I'm afraid ruined it for me overall.

Really loved this movie. Have to admit that much of what I liked about the film is visual; it's really visually stunning. I think the (director? idk who does this part but...) scenic vistas of farmland are meant to cause a yearning, a pull, an ache for things to be "right" and "good" and "just." Especially beautiful because these vistas are always shown in twilight of the morning or evening; something so quiet and reverent, something so pure and almost holy about it. Like innocence about to be shattered somehow. You find yourself cheering for "Gitty," the main character; a brave young girl whose conscience is more developed (sadly perhaps) than those of the adults in her life. Don't want to give anything away because it's too enjoyable to watch without knowing what happens, but just to say that the allegories of "fables" is sort of woven into the plot, and it reminded me a bit of "Spirited Away," where a young girl has to be brave and have courage and character to be victorious.

American Fable is set in the mid west of Reagan's 1980s America where some farmers were financially hard hit, heading for bankruptcy with their land being bought up by investors.

Gitty (Peyton Kennedy) is an eleven year old girl living with her dad Abe (Kip Pardue) who is struggling farmer, mother Sarah (Marci Miller) who is pregnant and older brother Martin (Gavin MacIntosh) who is hostile, bully and a borderline psycho, just see the way he nearly chopped her hand off.

Gitty lives a care free rural life, she may not have many friends but she has a pet chicken and her own fantasy world. One day in an out of bounds silo in the far reaches of their family farm, Gitty finds a businessman Jonathan (Richard Schiff) being held captive. Gitty feeds him, brings him books to read. He tells her stories and even teaches her to play chess. Obviously Richard is befriending her so she can help him escape but he appears to be genuine enough.

It seems her dad, mum and brother are in league with a mysterious woman called Vera, who wants the farmers to fight back against these rich developers. Gitty is in a dilemma whether to free Jonathan and put her family at risk of arrest.

The film wants to be a fable, you have various tales being told, a fantasy sequence but it is not wholly coherent. The film reaches an urgency at the climax but you really are left thinking as to how this crazy brother has not yet been institutionalised.

The film benefits from wonderful photography even the night scenes are well utilised but the film is under-cooked.

I'm not too sure exactly what 'American Fable' was trying to be. It's listed as a thriller on its IMDb page, and there are elements to it that could certainly make it a thriller, only it doesn't feel like a thriller. The problem is I'm not sure exactly what it does feel like. It's a story that kind of just drifts along until it ends. Even though there is an interesting scenario at the heart of the film, I still never felt like I cared what was going to happen next, because the film didn't feel like it had a lot of tricks up its sleeve. Unfortunately, because of this the end product is a rather bland film.

I suspect writer/director Anne Hamilton had a vision for this film which was to entrance the audience and create an almost fairy tale like world. Sadly though, she just seemed to find the nothingness middle ground of everything. I think that's the biggest problem with the film is that it never commits to any direction and it never dares to be anything great. I think Hamilton had the idea right somewhere along the line, she just perhaps didn't have the writing and film making skills to put it together. It's a shame too because films like this, when done right, can be an absolute treat. Sadly, 'American Fable' is a misfire.

We're living in country very reminiscent of the film's location, so there was a heightened appeal to the scenery for us, but honestly, this movie rises far above the attractiveness of its setting. It's a little unusual in that a major part of the drama hangs on the relationship between the father and daughter who greatly resemble each other. I found then both easy to listen to and watch. Both actors do a great job in their roles and they carry most of the picture with substantial help from this first time director who tells her story very effectively.

I've read criticism of the plot and the non-resolution of various issues brought up, but as one who needs murder mysteries and spy dramas to make perfect sense, a story mostly from a child's point of view set on a farm doesn't have to come together like a puzzle. I enjoyed this film and look forward to more from this interesting director.