American Honey

In a digital world, few still read magazines; and in dirt-poor America, still fewer will cough up for ink on paper. So for the youthful crew cramped into a van, peddling magazine subscriptions around Midwest strip malls, pickings are slim. But young Star (newcomer Sasha Lane) nonetheless dumps her kids to join their outfit, which is fronted by the hard-nosed Krystal (Riley Keough) and her charismatic boyfriend Jake (Shia LaBeouf) – who clearly has designs on Star.

Writer-director Andrea Arnold’s first American film recaptures the winningly scratchy form of Fish Tank and Red Road, offering a glorious kind of slacker movie on wheels, involving drink, drugs, sex and various illegalities. It’s all resplendently shot by regular cinematographer Rob Ryan, and features a largely unknown but extremely gifted cast.

American Honey, dir. Andrea Arnold, UK/USA 2016, 164 mins