Every now and again, a film manages to capture the essence of something timely and way bigger than the mere sum of the minutes it inhabits. The narrative, cinematography and music all feed into a large sense of what it means to be in that particular moment, regardless of whether you can identify with the characters or not. The “stench” of the era is just too strong, emanating from everything ranging from the little details to the grand narrative. The road movie about a group of impoverished youths called “American Honey” belongs to a fleet of films which manage to translate the concentrated high juice of an era into moving images including “Easy Riders”, “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “Natural Born Killers”.

The main character Star (Sasha Lane) is a delicately constructed image of contemporary youth. Emotionally immature and raw but also fearless and gutsy. She flies through the experiences she gathers on her road trip like a gentle breeze, leaving the audience flabbergasted about how close she comes to numerous life-threatening situations. The tingling feeling of always being on the verge of something bad which never really materialises adds a sense of danger and thrill. Star’s naïve disregard for all the glaring red flags allows her to float through all the threatening and dangerous without letting it scar her – an example of childlike escapism similar to that of “Beasts of the Southern Wild”. The robust see-sawing between actual danger and valuable experience is depicted almost in passing which creates a powerful feeling of what it means to be young.

So what does it mean to be young for the people in “American Honey”? They are all misfits who have for one reason or another exchanged their former lives for a dodgy sales pitch and life on the road. They are by no means ambitious money-hungry career people with dreams of “making it” but just youngsters who want to escape their lives and do not really care about what comes after. The high-water mark that Hunter S. Thompson claimed to be visible to the right eyes, does no longer even cross anyone’s minds. There is nothing beyond the here and now, their contentment or unease is all tied up in the moment. They’ve lost the ability to dream and refuse to remember the past.

This kind of not seizing but more like just existing in the moment is emphasised by the generous use of music in the film. One could even call “American Honey” a strange kind of contemporary musical as a lot of time is devoted to people listening and singing to music. Dialogue is scarce but lyrics take over to tell the story. When Star first sees the volatile but sweet Jake (Shia LaBeouf) in the supermarket dancing on the till, Rihanna makes a prophesy from the speakers, repeating, “We found love in a hopeless place”. Later on, Star’s awkward and painful dance scene with his family member is illustrated by the blasting chorus of “I don't have to make you love me, I just wanna take your time” which predicts the reveal of their actual relationship later on. Not to mention the touchingly beautiful use of Mazzy Star’s “Change into You” and the eponymous “American Honey” by Lady Antebellum. Music in “American Honey” is not a decorative element, it becomes the story. These songs offer the young band of salesmen who are living in the moment the ideal escape. Looking out of a bus window with America becoming one blurry puddle of fields or making the most of a moment in a parking lot before the beginning of another dreary work day, for the duration of these songs, they can forget about everyone and everything.

In addition to all this, “American Honey” is first and foremost a love story. A heart-wrenching and realistically problematic one which causes bouts of irrational jealousy but never overcomes the obstacles thrown at it by life. It is the undercurrent which flavours and directs all the other parts of the film but never becomes the raison d’etre of the characters. The love story is spiced with memorably original scenes of dancing on a till, moisturising the boss’s legs, a surprise shoot-out at a pool, demonstration of a secret treasure and long sex scenes which make the audience feel like they are prying. Their mutual infatuation between Star and Jake is not just love for the sake of love but it also emphasises different aspects of power struggle, clashes between classes and the all-encompassing yearning for financial freedom. Love in “American Honey” is intricately intertwined with the world around it which makes it an emotionally charged social commentary of a very pleasing kind.

“American Honey” is an underdog of a musical which looks deep into the heart of what it means to be here and now. It is a film about the youth, their struggles and the escape they find in music. The problems are real but the characters approach them with the nonchalant detachment which comes part and parcel with lack of experience. America and its dream become a distant view from the bus window and a room in a cheap hotel. It might not be a terribly fetching view but it is timely and beautiful in its tiny details and puny victories. They might be in the gutter not looking at the stars, but they know how to appreciate the very moment they are in. 

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