In his latest slice of anarchic Americana, writer-director Adam Carter Rehmeier first introduces us to the always effervescent Samara Weaving as Caroline. Listless and living a small life in a small town, she dutifully cares for her single father (Jon Gries) though she longs to break from her dusty and dull world. But when she observes a handsome drifter (Kyle Gallner) pull a sly con for a few bucks, her curiosity sparks an introduction that ignites an apprenticeship. Before long, their lucrative, if untenable, criminal enterprise dovetails into a passionate romance.
As with his jagged romantic comedy DINNER IN AMERICA (which also featured Gallner), Rehmeier again captures an unlikely relationship that crackles with chemistry and embodies an authentic sweetness. Gallner and Weaving seductively sizzle together as their small-time swindles escalate and earn them a reputation (and an arrest warrant) worthy of Bonnie and Clyde. Rehmeier’s spry direction and the judicious deployment of country music needle-drops combine to maintain an infectiously swooning momentum where hope springs eternal.
“CAROLINA CAROLINE is at its best at its flashiest and most over-the top… If you're looking for an update on the old Bonnie and Clyde story, this is it. It's modern without feeling like it's pandering, it toes the line between feeling almost fantastical without actually being fantasy, and the love on screen is as addictive as the heists those two lovers pull.” —Therese Lacson, Collider “There’s an empathy captured by the filmmakers towards these two crooks that roots the film with a deep sweetness. We just want them to be able to go back home together and be content with what they have. But is that even possible?... Where CAROLINA CAROLINE leaves this question hanging for the audience is quite the cherry on top of a wonderfully delightful film.” —Alex Papaioannou, Next Best Picture “Rehmeier has found a way to traverse different genres while maintaining an authentic, honest mix of comedy and drama. He’s unafraid to go for the big laugh, regardless of subject matter, yet knows when to hit the emotion hard…. If his characters’ actions may look flippant on the surface, that’s only because they never quite know what they don’t know until there’s no avoiding it. Gallner is great at lifting that veil. Weaving devastates by having no other choice but to look.” —Jared Mobarah, Film Stage
