‘Carolina Caroline’: Hits And Misses Are The Defining Quality

Executive producers Adam Carter Rehmeier and Tom Dean’s Carolina Caroline opens in theaters this June. However, the romantic crime thriller is not made available in many theaters across North America. Rehmeier and Dean’s film captures the working-class American world and two individuals’ troubling escape from it. The opening act introduces Caroline Daniels (Samara Weaving; Over Your Dead Body) and Oliver Anderson (Kyle Gallner; Smile 2), who cross paths in an almost meet-cute moment. Oliver’s already established as a low-key con artist, but after meeting Caroline, he persuades her to join him in a life of crime. Dean’s screenwriting can be a bit slow here, given that Caroline and Oliver take up a lot of space with half an hour to inform each other and viewers of their wants, needs, and what is missing in their lives.

The storytelling and the filmmaking are sharper than in, say, last summer’s Americana, written and directed by Tony Tost and starring Halsey, Sydney Sweeney, the late Eric Dane, Simon Rex, and Zahn McClarnon. The lighting during the intimate moments between Caroline and Oliver marks a brilliance in the romance, evidence of a true love that maintained its weight. I enjoy the physical chemistry between Weaving and Gallner, as well as the emotional tension between their characters. On the other hand, something feels off about editor Justin Krohn’s near-constant use of montages. Rehmeier and Dean could stretch the script to demonstrate how the cycles of conning, carjacking, and bank robberies influence the overall state of morality.

I could say the narrative unfolds poorly. Still, Caroline’s decisions—namely her mistakes—affect everyone and everything around her. As a road trip narrative, the three-act plot structure is quite astounding. Rehmeier and Dean mold Caroline into her own person outside of her hometown, whether through Oliver or without him. That freedom comes with its own set of risks.

Themes and Takeaways

While the screenplay toys around with some wisdom offered, these could very easily be misinterpreted as exposition. Yet, I do believe such lessons are best intended for mature viewers. Oliver and Caroline relate to one another through their positions in life, stuck in jobs they may never leave. This leads to the former’s brief lecture on systems and how to break free of them. Of course, there is both a science and a psychology to breaking the chains of the status quo. With that said, in the eyes of the audience, the best way to achieve that is to show them rather than merely telling.

Oliver makes a good point that his and Caroline’s actions mean stealing from corporate shareholders. Still, I think that communist filmmaker Boots Riley strikes a similar, albeit sharper point in his crime comedy film, I Love Boosters. The workers are also victims, and so it would be reckless to suggest that only the consumers suffer. Ultimately, both I Love Boosters and Carolina Caroline boil down to power and control. The difference is that Caroline learns to take control of her life by manipulating the truth, an ideal personified by her father and her mother.

Character Development and Performances

I love Kyle Gallner’s charisma and, later in the film, boldness. I mean, this is a beloved actor who has had a blast performing in Karyn Kusama and Diablo Cody’s Jennifer’s Body, Kevin Smith’s Red State, and perhaps most notably, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar’s Smallville. Regardless, more recent years have allowed him to show fans who he is at his current age. Projects including Radio Silence’s Scream re-quel, Parker Finn’s Smile films, and J.T. Mollner’s Strange Darling helped cement Gallner’s performances as men holding on dearly to power and demand. As Oliver, his voice carries character; one could believe in everything he says.

Samara Weaving continues to flourish as a character actor. Whether it’s her smile, her wider expressions, or her entire body language, her performance as Caroline is amazing. What makes the role so human is how often she stumbles. In bank robberies, the woman has only one wig to wear as a disguise. One would think that she and Oliver could afford more if they can afford to forge fake IDs and passports in between sprees. The combination of Caroline’s flawed nature and Weaving’s flawless presence creates an interesting experiment in cinematic storytelling. Not to mention that she just rocks in her various outfits, courtesy of costume designers Anaïs Castaldi and Hannah Greenblatt.

Jon Gries and Kyra Sedgwick each have small screen time but play major roles in Caroline’s development. I believe that the performances that they contribute to the story highlight a sort of balance. Caroline’s father, Hank (Gries), is gentle, kind, and open to giving others a chance. Eventually, though, as Caroline makes her way to South Carolina to reunite with her mother, Deborah (Sedgwick), that same impression cannot be made. I don’t remember the last time Sedgwick put on a relentless performance. It might be one of the neatest things since Wim Wenders and Sam Shepard’s Paris, Texas.

Final Thoughts on Carolina Caroline

Surely, Carolina Caroline is a work of complete perfection for some people. Personally, it isn’t wholly my cup of tea. Weaving and Gallner can do so much as the leads until something about the filmmaking interferes or plot holes are discovered. I love the change in tone as Rehmeier and the music team circle back to the epilogue shots of Caroline alone with a pitch-black wig on. Essentially, what makes Carolina Caroline feasible enough as a feature project is its structure, along with the writer and the director’s ability to deliver a decent message. With that said, it wouldn’t hurt to add in several more shooting script pages/ around a quarter-hour of material, right?

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars