American Honey puts a human face to America's underclass
American Honey is a road trip movie inspired by a road trip and which was also filmed via road trip.
It follows a group of ragtag adolescents on a "Mag Crew" (touring door-to-door magazine subscription sellers), played by Shia LaBeouf and newcomer Sasha Lane, as they move through the underbelly of America's underclass.
After reading about the mag crew phenomenon, director Andrea Arnold felt compelled to tell their story. "The thing that most attracted me was that there were all these kids from very difficult backgrounds who got together on a bus and formed a surrogate family," she says.
So she followed suit. She packed her cast and crew in vans and drove them across the country to Cannes Jury Prize-winning film, giving the coming-of-age movie a documentary feel.
"We started in Oklahoma and we shot chronologically. We all stayed in the same motels, we drove together in convoy."
Which of course included some road trip shenanigans both on and off screen.
With the film screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, Arnold joins guest host Candy Palmater to talk about the British-native's American tale.
WEB EXTRA | Screening now at the Toronto International Film Festival, watch the trailer for American Honey below:
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