Fleeing from the scene of a terrible crime, a young woman embarks on a life-changing road trip across California and Nevada, in this drama starring Diane Kruger, Lena Dunham and Norman Reedus.

99

Platform

Sky

Fabienne Berthaud

Romy (Diane Kruger) and Richard (Gilles Lellouche) are a French couple on vacation in America. They play at being free and wild in the California desert, but can't escape the shadow hanging over their relationship. A drunken night in a bar leads to a violent confrontation. Romy sees a chance to remake her life.

While working within the tradition of the road movie, director Fabienne Berthaud brings a uniquely compelling touch to the genre. Toying with conventions — especially those that have to do with a woman traveling alone — Berthaud evokes a deep sense of dislocation. Romy continually shifts from one locale to the next as Berthaud's restless camera follows. And she meets plenty of people along the way: a sympathetic police officer (Joshua Jackson) in a small-town police station, a cowboy (Norman Reedus) on the Vegas strip, and, in a dust-encrusted trailer park, a perennially pregnant young woman (Lena Dunham) who refuses to be worn down by her bleak surroundings.

Berthaud's third feature, which she also co-wrote, resonates far beyond the individual scope of Romy's struggle. It's at once a story of one woman's emancipation and a fascinating depiction of a segment of American society. Poetic and personal, romantic but never sentimental, Sky nimbly shifts focus back and forth between its protagonist's concerns and the wild landscape that gradually becomes a place she can call home. This is a remarkable film from an emerging French auteur.

Screenings

Wed Sep 16

Visa Screening Room (Elgin)

Regular
6:00pm
Thu Sep 17

Scotiabank 4

Industry
9:30am
Thu Sep 17

Ryerson Theatre

Regular
3:00pm
Fri Sep 18

Scotiabank 7

Industry
3:15pm
Sun Sep 20

Scotiabank 1

Regular
9:45pm