‘Americana’ Goes West With an Oddball Standoff Led by Sydney Sweeney and Halsey 

Alci Rengifo

No matter what era we are living through, the American West retains the allure of wide spaces where you can get lost, reinvent yourself, and possibly do both through crime. At least, that is the temptation the landscape has always offered through movies. “Americana” is a modern Western set in South Dakota keeping those traditions going through the quirky flourishes filmmakers have been bringing to the genre. Tony Tost makes his directorial debut wearing many of his influences on his sleeve, but without ever reducing himself to relying solely on imitation. Like many good filmmakers, he borrows from where he can while polishing a distinct voice. Pop culture is also on his side considering this movie releases just as one of its leads, Sydney Sweeney, finds herself in the middle of an odd micro storm in the culture wars. Putting headlines aside, Sweeney is at home in this film like some likeable country outcast.

Another notable name is singer Halsey in her first dramatic role as Mandy Starr, a woman who has clearly seen better days. We first meet her through her young son, Cal (Gavin Maddox Bergman), who plays outside of a double-wide claiming to be the reincarnation of Sitting Bull. Mandy’s older boyfriend Dillon (Eric Dane) rushes back from who knows where only for Mandy to knock him out and flee, leaving Cal behind when he refuses to go. What happened? The timeline switches between characters to explain how Dillion was hired by a shady antiques dealer, Roy Lee Dean (Simon Rex), to steal a priceless Lakota ghost shirt. Mandy knocked out Dillon to sell the shirt herself. Oh, but there’s more because a local waitress with a stammer, Penny Jo (Sweeney), overheard a conversation between Roy Lee and his contacts at the diner where she works. Penny recruits a local loner, Lefty Ledbetter (Paul Walter Hauser), to help her get the shirt to fund their getaway so she can chase her dream of becoming a country singer.

“Americana” works like an ensemble piece where you enjoy watching everyone scheme for its 107 minutes. Comparisons will no doubt be made to the work of directors like the Coen Brothers, who mastered this sort of thriller where form nearly matters more than the plot. There’s that great small town feel of everyone being their own character. Lefty is introduced as a man so lonely he prepares to propose to a woman after only two dates. He rehearses his speech in front of Penny Jo, who worships Dolly Parton and writes songs she mostly keeps to herself. Her reserved nature is understandable considering her stammer is just one inhibition, there’s also a cruel mother who mocks her at home. For all the controversy over jeans, bathwater for sale and her political affiliation, Sweeney here delivers a vulnerable, touching performance. She’s not pushing beyond her range and perfectly embodies a small town homebody hoping to get out there. The sudden urge to partake in the Lakota shirt scheming comes across through Sweeney as an act of absurd naivety easy to believe.

Everyone else contributes to the oddball enjoyment of the movie with strong material. Eric Dane, who along with Sweeney is “Euphoria” alumni, is a great middle-aged thug capable of cold violence. Paul Walter Hauser is prone to playing losers and brings comedic warmth to his role. You forget Halsey is Halsey after the way she brings Mandy to life with fierce energy and empathy. Tost lets the material dabble in slight bits of satire as well, so the actors really get to play. Cal runs across a local Native American group led by Ghost Eye (Zahn McClarnon), who thinks the kid is nuts when he starts issuing commands like Sitting Bull, until he realizes Cal really can lead them to the ghost shirt. Along the way they have funny, ironic discussions about cultural appropriation. Ghost Eye is a leftover from the 1960s and the days of the American Indian Movement, so he apparently isn’t after the shirt for the money, but to recover stolen history from the days of the Ghost Dance. He can only grin when Cal, speaking as Sitting Bull, calls on his men to preserve their traditions. Earlier, when the Ghost shirt is stolen, the thieves take it from a home belonging to the kind of pretentious crowd accused of gentrifying places like Santa Fe. 

Such moments are a twist on the old Western tropes. Tost keeps a few others like standoffs and shootouts, while slyly enhancing such moments with additions like Ghost Eye using game-hunting bow and arrows. Simon Rex is more of the typical Western villain, strutting around in a black cowboy hat and issuing big threats. Yet, he does it with lots of gusto. More importantly, even when the plot leads to outrageous developments, including a secluded cult linked to Mandy’s past, the movie doesn’t lose sight of its human relationships. We almost root for Penny to make it to Nashville with Lefty, who may be pitiful but not undeserving of happiness. “Americana” ends as a fun escape where we enjoy hanging out with the people as much as guessing who will end up with the loot.

“Americana” releases Aug. 15 in theaters nationwide.