Bad boy meets good girl. Boy falls in love and introduces girl to bad deeds.
That’s the premise of director Adam Carter Rehmeier’s rom-crime caper, which is reminiscent of the 1940’s “Bonnie and Clyde” film that follows a couple on a spree of petty theft and bank heists.
Caroline Daniels (brilliantly played by Samara Weaving) is young, pretty, smart and savvy, but is stuck in a dead-end job in a small town in Texas working at a gas station supply store. One day, she spots her employer being swindled out of cash by Oliver, a con man in a flashy car (played by Kyle Gallner). When she accosts him about the deceit, he returns the money to her.
Their paths cross again that night when she spots him at a bar. Despite initial moral reservations about his criminal activities, Caroline is drawn to his charm and perceived freedom.
“If you could do anything, what would you do?” He asks her.
“Travel,” she replies.
A romance quickly blossoms between the pair and it’s not long before she leaves her dissatisfied life and joins him on a road trip to learn the tricks of his trade.
The first hour of “Carolina Caroline” is adrenaline fueled with slick capers. It then takes a different turn as she tracks down her mother Debra (played by Kyra Sedgwick) who abandoned her as an infant. Their exchange is one of the strongest scenes in the film.
Both Weaving and Gallner excel as criminals who weave a path of crime and passion, through manipulation, across the American Southeast. They make a captivating couple and look like younger screen versions of Sean Pean and Margot Robbie.
Oliver sees no harm in his actions, but as their crimes spiral from petty theft to bank robbery, it isn’t long before they become the target of law enforcement.
Steady and infectious, it’s a slick film which features tracks from artists such as Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton and Loretta Lynn.
A couple with abandonment issues who justify their crime, these are both fully rounded characters. The natural chemistry that radiates on screen between the flawed duo makes it worth the watch.
“Carolina Caroline” releases in theaters in the United States June 5.
