Stillwater (2021)
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An unemployed man travels to France to investigate the case of his daughter's conviction for murder.
The story
In Stillwater, Oklahoma, Bill Baker is a laid-off roughneck struggling to find work after a tornado. When his daughter, Allison, is convicted of murdering her roommate and lover in Marseille, France, Bill travels across the ocean to find her. He receives a letter from her and begins a desperate search for the truth behind her conviction. To do so, he enlists the help of a local woman, Virginie, who becomes his guide and translator. Together, they navigate the complexities of the legal system and the local community as Bill attempts to prove his daughter's innocence and uncover the identity of the real killer.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Bill Baker, an unemployed worker in Oklahoma, travels to Marseille, France, to visit his daughter Allison, who is serving a prison sentence for the murder of her roommate, Lina. While Bill initially believes he can find evidence of her innocence, he is warned by a private investigator that only DNA evidence will suffice. Bill begins a search for the real killer, eventually identifying a man named Akim. He enlists the help of Virginie, a local single mother, who assists him in navigating the local area. During his investigation, Bill's actions become increasingly desperate, leading him to kidnap Akim and hold him in a basement to secure a DNA sample. While the truth of the crime is revealed—that Allison actually hired Akim to evict Lina but did not intend for him to kill her—the legal case is reopened. Ultimately, Allison is exonerated and returns to Oklahoma with her father, where they reflect on their journey and the reality of their lives in Stillwater.
- First release year
- 2021
- Runtime (minutes)
- 139
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; Spanish
- Directors
- Tom McCarthy
- Writers
- Tom McCarthy · writer; Marcus Hinchey · writer; Thomas Bidegain · writer; Noé Debré · writer
- Cast and characters
- Matt Damon · Bill Baker; Camille Cottin · Virginie; Abigail Breslin · Allison Baker; Lilou Siauvaud · Maya; Deanna Dunagan · Sharon; Idir Azougli · Akim; Anne Le Ny · Leparq; Moussa Maaskri · Dirosa; William Nadylam · Patrick
- Genres
- crime drama
- Themes
- father-daughter relationship; justice; guilt
- Premise and plot tags
- crime; drama; legal_thriller; road_trip
- Source material / true-story basis
- Original screenplay
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, though some noted it was a slow-paced character study rather than a traditional action thriller.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 60 · scale: 100 · review count: 41
- Production trivia
- The film was originally scheduled for release in November 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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