American Meltdown

American Meltdown has been doing extremely well on the film festival circuit. I wasn't sure what we were walking into but this film was a great find. The story is especially relevant post-pandemic. Very well written and beautiful performances from the two main characters. The film picks up and moves so it's an easy watch. Irony is peppered in which makes you wonder if we are living in someone's Dark Comedy. If you feel like you've been trying your best but end up running in place then you'll certainly be able to connect to American Meltdown. Prepare to laugh as the filmmaker shines a light on the increasing difficulty of establishing yourself in the new normal.

A gripping film with a great attitude. Makes you feel the weight of modern day society in a way that is very satisfying for the payoff at the end. If you've been privileged to have an easy life, this film will make you feel what it feels to be helpless and drowning. If you've felt that before, this film will give you a cathartic release for your troubles.

Casting is great, characters are witty and well written. Surprisingly funny while being a serious film with a touch of satire. Sound design was similarly very well done, some of the shots are beautiful. Short, poignant, snd enjoyable without many dull moments.

I have not seen the experiences and frustrations of the current adult generation expressed in a movie quite so clearly before. I truly didn't know what was going to happen next at any point in the movie and truly enjoyed it. The performances are understated and feel very real. The storytelling manages to approach and examine topics discussed constantly on news and social media without ever feeling blatant or trite. I found it extremely relatable and refreshing and it caught me off guard following where these characters go as they are pushed into an ethical desperation. Beautifully shot and edited. Highly recommend.

At the time of this writing, the film inexplicably has 5 "10" ratings out of 6 User Reviews - for this otherwise harmless TV-quality light comedy film.

Female lead Jacki Von Preysing lights up the screen with charm and wit. She has to come up with 4 months of rent money in a hurry. Despite losing her job.

She is aided by a "petty criminal" Nicolette Sweeney though despite this reputation, we see very little of her criminal operandi.

There is very abstract sexual innuendo and no sexual situations. There is no action or moments of suspenseful climax.

The film is otherwise watchable and mildly entertaining, and you are kept watching if only to see how Von Preysing gets out of her situation.

It's one of those light "safe" movies to watch with your partner on a Friday night without really having to discuss anything afterwards...

This is an intensely relatable joyride, start to finish! Very solid, crowd-pleasing fun with an awesome jazzy score.

Tells the macro story of the Millennial experience of the American Dream at a micro level. Lots of character-centric comedy punctuated with fun suspense/crime sequences and a great ending.

It's about the sacrifices that the millennial generation was coerced into making: the forced abandonment of a dignified life in exchange for comforting illusions of security and control. It's about the reality of what happens when those illusions are ripped away. It's about the endless layers of systemic pressure that pile up, squeezing every last modicum of energy, money, patience, and goodwill out of good people. No one in Meltdown who has the power to help - whether by making a small sacrifice of their own convenience, or by simply empathizing with a stranger to make her feel a little less alone - does so. That is, unless their own illusion of security, comfort, or control is at risk of being torn away. Property only exists for those who can afford security. There is no solidarity between those who hold power in this story and those who don't. When a system no longer serves us, and everything has been taken, leaving us only with our values, to whom can we turn?

There are macro problems no individual can face. This is a movie about facing the micro ones. It's about peeling off the papery husks of the American Dream and reemerging from its desiccated cocoon with a sense of agency, power, and hope-found, crucially, through helping other people.