Victims. [10] Mychael Danna composed the film's score. Nor does it sympathise with her time behind bars. Six months ago, he was laid off from his job. Abigail Breslin feared she might kill Matt Damon on the set of their new film Stillwater, given she had to drive with him in the passenger seat very shortly after passing her test. In Knox and Sollecitos first trial in 2009, they were convicted of murder and sexual violence, among other charges, and sentenced to 26 and 25 years in prison, respectively. Men and women kiss each other on both cheeks in the traditional French greeting. (She was accused and. At first, she fights this, wanting to be better than her dad. Sluggishly directed and cowritten by Tom McCarthy ("Spotlight"), "Stillwater" starts out like a detective story with Bill finding his way to Akim with the assistance of the English-speaking . He goes to the airport and sees a gold Stillwater necklace in the gift shop. He doesnt even recognize a life without Virginie and Maya. (Will Hunting no more!) To fully understand the ending of "Stillwater," it helps to revisit the fateful moment that set the action in motion. One night, Bill took Maya to the Olympique de Marseille game and spotted Akim there. Several people discuss gun laws, and Bill says he owns a few guns. When he takes Maya to a football match, he spots Akim in the crowd. Eventually, Bill and Virginie admit their feelings for each other and the three begin living as a quasi-family. The letter tells LeParq that one of Allisons professors let her know that a student in his outreach program said they overheard someone bragging about stabbing someone and getting away with it. His daughter, Allison (played by Abigail Breslin), is currently five years into a nine-year prison sentence in Marseille, France, having been convicted for murdering her . florida to puerto rico by boat time. Akim misunderstood and killed the girl instead, which Allison still feels remorse for since she never wanted Lina dead. We see several shirtless fans at a soccer game. What Shows Have Been Renewed or Canceled. Camille Cottin Explains The Ending Of Stillwater - Exclusive. Allison has a very poor image of her father, repeatedly calling him a F***-up. She warns Virginie not to rely on him because she believes he will inevitably let Virginie down. Akim tells Bill that Allison paid him to get rid of Lina with a "Stillwater" necklace. He finally meets with a private detective, Dirosa (Moussa Maaskri), who reads the letter. The premise, Stillwater 's director and co-screenwriter Tom McCarthy tells Vanity Fair, was directly inspired by the Amanda Knox saga that erupted in Italy after Knox's roommate was killed in . When he returns home, Virginie comforts him, and the next day Maya sees they had fallen asleep in the same bed (still clothed in the clothes they were wearing last night). "The ending is a very beautiful way of putting the last touch to this character and fully understand her," Cottin said. A woman swims topless, and we see parts of her exposed breasts. Kercher had been on exchange from a university in her native England to study there that fall and living with another exchange student, Amanda Knox, an American. She goes down and he claims to be a building inspector and asks if there has been any noise or smells coming from the basement. Before leaving Marseille, Leparq communicated with Bill about the new evidence (Akims DNA) that surfaced, and based on it, the judge had agreed to reopen the investigation. But when he and Allison return home, Allison is resolved to live out her life as a screw-up. Virginie is confused but asks him if anyone else knows what Akim looks like. Allisons laywer tells Bill not to pursue Akim on his own since it would be giving Allison false hope. The Tank Ending, Explained: Did Ben, Jules, & Reia Survive? They offer Bill information for private investigators and Bill becomes angry and leaves. He strides with a cowboy's gait and talks in muttery, southern tones. In contrast, much of the plot of Stillwater is devoted to Bill Baker meeting and falling in love with a local hot lady while staying in Marseille for his daughter and her case. In the film, a gravestone places Linas death in 2014, and when we meet her, Allison has been in prison for five years, with four more to serve. Hes a bit of a heartland stereotype: Hes a man of few words (and when he does speak, he says maam a lot). Police officers find and detain Bill, but after a fruitless search of the basement, the police question Maya, who lies about not having seen the hostage. Matt Damon in Tom McCarthy's 'Stillwater': Film Review | Cannes 2021 The star plays an Oklahoma oil worker who travels to Marseille to help Abigail Breslin as his imprisoned daughter in this. Knox said, "by fictionalizing away my innocence, my total lack of involvement, by erasing the role of the authorities in my wrongful conviction, McCarthy reinforces an image of me as a guilty and untrustworthy person. Once again, the added-in details about his past heighten the drama: Bill is a high school dropout who works on oil rigs, but when we meet him, hes recently laid off and has been working shifts in construction and tornado cleanup to get by. Though he fights back, he's knocked to the ground and kicked repeatedly. Dirosa, former law enforcement, explains to Bill how difficult this will be to find the young man if he hasnt already fled, and get a DNA sample and then match it to the unknown DNA left at the crime scene he has contacts at the police that can test it. Though he fights back, hes knocked to the ground and kicked repeatedly. Sweet Tooth Aimee Eden, Explained: Is Aimee Dead Or Alive? [7][8][9] Camille Cottin was added to the cast in September. Lina had been cheating on Allison. Many of us think that we can label life and then magically come up with a meaning. They both confirm for her that they arent. It is clear she has been through an appeals process as well, because when Bill consults Allisons lawyer about a potential new lead involving Akim, she urges the Bakers to drop it and make peace with the sentence. Bill meets a woman named Virginie and her daughter Maya at his hotel. When her lawyer wont take the case, Bill begins investigating on his own with the help of a local woman, Virginie (Camille Cottin), eventually locating Akim but losing him. On parole day, Bill picks Allison up in his construction struck. During Allison's one free day out of prison that year, Bill thinks that he reconnects with her, but that evening as she goes back to prison she attempts suicide by trying to hang herself. Virginie points out to Bill the housing community that the young woman lives in, but says they would be unlikely to talk to him because he is an outsider. He follows him from the game to a restaurant, Maya with him the whole time. Several people act quite racist towards those of Arab lineage. He follows and kidnaps him, turning over a lock of hair to a private eye to confirm a DNA match with crime scene DNA. The guilt that may haunt her forever. Stillwater Release Date: July 30, 2021 From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Tom McCarthy ( Spotlight) comes a drama about family, forgiveness and unconditional love. Bill doesnt want to disappoint his daughter, so he decides to plunge on his own. Horrified by his racism, Virginie leaves, refusing to talk to him anymore. Akim was never found, but the court of law released Allison. Akim approached Patricks outreach student, Souad, at a party. He waits and is finally allowed a visit with his daughter, Allison (Abigail Breslin), who has been convicted of murder. She doesn't even get to be the main character. [3][4], In the United States and Canada, Stillwater was released alongside Jungle Cruise and The Green Knight, and was projected to gross around $5 million from 2,531 theaters in its opening weekend. Life is brutal, isnt it? Until now, Sharon has been paying regular visits to Allison, but this time, she pleads with Bill to see his daughter after four years. "[21] David Sims of The Atlantic noted similarities between the film and director Tom McCarthy's previous films, The Visitor and Win Win, but added: "McCarthy's excellent, if sprawling, script is more interested in the humans behind the headlines and the messy ways people try to reconcile their grief and guilt after indescribable trauma. And when she went to collect her moms things from a storage container, she found it empty since Bill had neglected to pay the rental fees. She had had a fight with Lina and hired Akim to get Lina out of their apartment. The last scenes are of Bill and his daughter back in America. Bill meets with Allison who is eager to know what LeParq had to say. Four months later, Bill started working as a construction worker and moved into to Virginies apartment to save rent. She tells Bill if theres anything she can do for him to let her know, and he asks her to translate Allisons letter. He updates Virginie on the situation, and she agrees to contact the girl for him. Warning: You may lose the entire afternoon reading old spoilers! She asks him if he agrees, and he says no it all looks completely different to him now. Allison stops speaking to him, but he stays in France and begins living with Virginie and her daughter Maya, who he takes care of and has bonded. Running out of time, Bill goes to the prison and meets with Allison, who is confused and angry, and hurt about what is really going on. Bill was on a hunt to track down Akim and get his DNA so it could be compared to the unknown DNA found on the crime scene. In both cases, a foreign white woman accusing a nonwhite man of the crime heightens tensions; in the movie, many doubt Akim exists at all. When he leaves, she stares at the basement door. The private investigator tips off the police who come and look in the basement, but Virginie had discovered the truth and freed Akim earlier. He struck up a strong bond with Maya and looked after her when Virginie was away or busy with her theater rehearsals. Allison realized that Bill knew her secret and thus confessed that she handed the chain to Akim to make Lina go out of her apartment. They were cleared again, seemingly once and for all, in 2015. The media was convinced of her guilt, but Allison has maintained her innocence and so has Bill. He tells her he loves her, and they sit on the porch and Allison says she can't believe how everything looks exactly the same. Rightfully, Virginie asks Bill to leave after this incident despite the heartbreak it causes. Virginie is casually dating a local theatre director. [15], Stillwater grossed $14.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $5.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $19.8 million. A cross hangs in someones home. Help keep the spoilers up to date by sending your submissions here. She cries and admits the truth she did give it to Akim but she just wanted him to get Lina out of her apartment, she never thought it would happen the way it happened. At 140 minutes, "Stillwater" spends a lot more time on Bill's new domestic situation with Virginie and Maya than viewers probably expect. Knox, too, was studying abroad when she. Finally, he says Stillwater that the necklace said Stillwater. But is there any truth at all, or are there only stories to tell? Ponniyin Selvan: Part 2 Review: Mani Ratnams Sequel To A Sleep-Inducing Slog Is A Snoozefest. [20] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, while 63% of PostTrak audience members gave it a positive score, with 34% saying that they would definitely recommend it. AMC THEATERS - LOEWS CINEPLEX - REGAL CINEMAS - CENTURY THEATERS. She claims a man at a local bar stole her purse and keys, went to the apartment, killed Lina and ran off. Bill begins to doubt Allison's innocence. Akim misunderstood Allison because of her poor knowledge of French Language and killed Lina. Bill has traveled to Marseille, in France, to try and free his daughter, Allison (Abigail Breslin), from prison. Such a layered conflict can only be pulled off by a polished actor like Matt Damon, and he pulls it off gracefully. [11] It was filmed on location in Oklahoma and Marseille.[5][6]. Muoi: The Curse Returns Ending, Explained: Did Hang Survive? He asks Virginie to translate the letter, where he learns not only about his daughter's desperation at the sentence, but also about how little faith she has in her father's ability to help with the situation. Handi Lina - Killed by Akim off-screen. He brings Dirosa, who he pays, some of Akims hair to do the DNA test. Bill knocks a man out and kidnaps him, duct-taping him to a chair in a windowless basement. When a girl refuses to give Bill information, he grabs her roughly and Virginie explains that he cannot force the girl to stay. She says no and says if he gives her a card she can call him back, suspicious, but he declines. One night at an Olympique de Marseille game, which Bill attends with Maya, he spots Akim and follows him to his truck after the match has finished. All Images property of their respective owners. Virginie had already released Akim when Dirosa visited the building and inquired about the basement. In both cases we have a fractured father-daughter relationship and a father willing to fight for his daughter. The media was convinced of her guilt, but Allison has maintained her innocence and so has Bill. did bill kill akim in stillwater. In the movie, it is mentioned that Bill once punched a journalist over frustration with the case and how his daughter was being treated. An oil worker in Stillwater, Oklahoma named Bill Baker travels to Marseille, France to visit his daughter Allison, who is five years in to serving a nine-year prison sentence. Slate is published by The Slate The Slate Group LLC. We learn that Bill is an ex-con. "That was definitely really interesting and really helpful to film there and see what my day-to-day . He says that Allison paid him with a gold necklace, and Bill doesnt believe a word hes saying. Bill implores Maya to keep the secret, and she agrees. Four months later, Bill is still in France, working construction. While searching for Akim, Bill is jumped by Akims friends. Bill pays a private investigator to have a lock of Akim's hair tested against the crime scene's DNA evidence. While "Stillwater" may have an abrupt ending for Cottin's character, the actor also tells us that there's a much deeper meaning to Virginie's final scene. And, lets be frank, because sometimes that guy in Marketing whos such a jerk to everyone needs to be put in his placeand how better than to ruin the ending of the movie hes been looking forward to seeing for the past three weeks. Bill and Virginie meet with the girl, who names the killer as Akim. The Knox family initially used airline miles, vacation time, and sick time to find a way for at least one family member to be in Italy to be with Amanda and attend her trial at every possible moment, and there were times when they lived there for stretches. Yet, over the course of her life, she's also learned her limits. Watch: Abigail Breslin feared she might kill Matt Damon in car scene. She didnt want any danger to hover over her daughters head due to Bill. He goes about his life, interviews for part-time construction work, and stops by the home of his former mother-in-law, Sharon (Deanna Dunagan), who is sick and has an oxygen tank. The legal saga still wasnt over: In 2013, an Italian court reversed the acquittal. Without this abrupt ending for Virginie, the film just wouldn't make sense. This page was last edited on 24 April 2023, at 08:03. But as time goes on (the girl is in prison, after all), she seems to sadly accept that she and her dad are both very messed-up people, made even sadder by the fact that neither of them actually want to change. She says hes a fuck-up, just like she (Allison) is. He explains it is from his new job and that he told her about it, but she says she has not been reading his letters. Leparq refuses to attempt to reopen the case because the new information is just hearsay. However, Leparq refuses to participate in any such conspiracy and believes that the judge will never open a case based on hearsay. She probably would have opened the padlock with a spare key that was seen in the apartment. Allison breaks down and admits she hired Akim to evict Lina from their house after they had broken up, but claims that she did not intend for Lina to be killed, as Akim misunderstood her intentions to "put her out" of the apartment. And knowing his sense of justice is complicated, to say the least, it's immediately unclear how he'll handle the unfiltered truth of his daughter's betrayal. He meets Allison in prison, and after an awkward conversation between the distant father and daughter, Allison requests that Bill deliver her letter to her lawyer, Leparq. Said moment comes early in the film, when Allison passes Bill a note written in French which portends she's heard a local man has been taking credit for the murder she was ultimately convicted of. He followed Akim while Maya was sleeping in the truck, and finding the right moment, Bill abducted Akim. Bill picks Maya up from school and she asks him if hes going to kill the bad man. Back home, Bill brought up the Stillwater necklace in the conversation. The majority of the media attention focused on Knox and Sollecito in the Italy case, but there were a few other notable people who were investigated. They hug each other goodbye and cry. While attending university in Marseille, Allison was convicted of killing her roommate and unfaithful lover, Lina.[6][7]. Over the course of the film, viewers come to realize how strong her character really is, too. Bill Baker (Matt Damon), an oil rig worker from Oklahoma, goes to France to visit his incarcerated daughter, Allison (Abigail Breslin). They go to the apartment where Virginie makes dinner for them at the table, Allison asks them if theyre sleeping together, embarrassing Bill. The next morning as they sit on the porch, Allison says everything looks the same in Stillwater while Bill admits everything looks different to him, almost to the point of him not recognizing it anymore. (Future scenes show them waking up in bed together, implying that they are having sex.). She has been sentenced to 9 years in prison in Marseille, France, of which she has already served 4. He follows and kidnaps him, turning over a lock of hair to a private eye to confirm a DNA match with crime scene DNA. Akim tells Bill that Allison paid him to get rid of Lina with a "Stillwater" necklace. Bill helps Virginie care for Maya and acts as a father figure to her. I could say that it seems Bill learned something from the experience. Matt Damon as Bill; Camille Cottin as Virginie; Abigail Breslin as Allison, Lilou Siauvaud as Maya; Deanna Dunagan as Sharon; Idir Azougli as Akim; Anne Le Ny as Leparq, Moussa Maaskri as Dirosa; Isabelle Tanakil as Isabelle; Naidra Ayadi as Nedjma; William Nadylam as Patrick. Allison and Patrick think that Akim must be the same guy who killed Lina. He goes to see the lawyer but she is unavailable and so he refuses to leave it for her, choosing instead to return when she is free to make sure he can read it. We learn that Allisons mom killed herself. They go down, and Bill expects to be caught, but no one is there. Allison stops speaking to him, but he stays in France and begins living with Virginie and her daughter Maya, who he takes care of and has bonded. Amanda Knox is from Seattle, where she came from a middle-class family and attended the University of Washington. Bill Baker (Matt Damon), an oil rig worker from Oklahoma, goes to France to visit his incarcerated daughter, Allison (Abigail Breslin). During Bill's first meeting with Allison, she asks him to pass a letter to her defense lawyer, Mrs. Leparq. Akim tells Bill that Allison had hired him to kill Lina and that she paid him with a gold necklace bearing the word "Stillwater". He feeds the man and allows him to walk around for a little bit each day, but its clear the man is terrified as he begs Bill to release him. He goes to see Allison and confesses the truth, that LeParq wouldnt help so he was doing it himself, and it worked, he found Akim. He warns her not to lie and threatens to take Bill to jail, but Maya again says yesterday, and the police leave. All rights reserved. When the movie begins, Akim has never been found, but Allison believes tracking him down and testing his DNA could exonerate her. After Virginie finds out what (or, in this case, who) Bill Baker has been keeping hostage in the basement, she immediately ends her relationship with him. In "Stillwater," Bill Baker (played by Matt Damon) is a longtime oil rigger (also known as a roughneck) who has been experiencing some hard times in his hometown of Stillwater, Oklahoma. Bill and his mother-in-law are Christians who pray before every meal. [17] The film fell 45% to $2.6 million in its second weekend, remaining in fifth place. In Stillwater, Allison says that the night Lina was murdered, she had drinks with a man named Akim, who then stole Allisons purse and killed Lina. After losing his job on the oil rig, Bill Baker (Matt Damon) involves himself in a series of odd construction jobs to survive in Stillwater, Oklahoma. What Happens To Cora? A girl shouts at her mother. Whats lost is lost. Jewelry that Bill got her before she left to France. Guede is now the sole person convicted of the murder. Not surprisingly, some of those movies are beginning to get lost in the shuffle, and it's safe to say the new indie crime drama "Stillwater" is among the overlooked. That film finds Matt Damon portraying a conservative, out-of-work roughneck named Bill who travels from Oklahoma to France in hopes of helping his daughter Allison (AbigailBreslin), who's stuck in a Marseille prison for killing her lover Lina, a murder she claims she did not commit. Matt Damon in Stillwater (Jessica Forde/Focus Features). However, convinced of his daughter's innocence, who has already served five long years of a nine-year prison sentence for the murder of her girlfriend, widowed Bill travels to the port city of Marseilles, France, to visit estranged Allison. As roughneck Bill Baker, he wears the signifiers of a blue-collar Oklahomana thick goatee, a camo-colored baseball cap, an eagle-clutched skull tattoo, a sturdy pair of jeans. "[24] Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent gave the film a score of 2/5 stars, describing it as "an empty gesture of a film", and wrote: "It doesn't reckon with the injustice Knox faced. One man offers to lie in court about who Akim is because he believes all Arab people are guilty of something. If you've seen the film, please rate it at this poll, If you haven't seen the film but would like to see the result of the poll click here, Click here to see the rankings of 2021 films, Click here to see the rankings for every poll done.

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