‘Stillwater’: Matt Damon Thriller From Tom McCarthy Never Quite Changes the Tide [Cannes Review]
It’s been a rocky four-plus years in American foreign policy, and nowhere is this more apparent than in “Stillwater,” the new thriller-slash-family drama from “Spotlight” director Tom McCarthy, which premiered out-of-competition at Cannes. Partially inspired by the Amanda Knox trial, but mostly a strangely affecting family drama concocted by screenwriting team Thomas Bidegain, Noé Debré, and Marcus Hinchey, the film totters uneasily between the two modes over the course of 140 minutes, never quite finding its footing.