Silver Star, a determinedly quirky little movie, is a throwback to the indie cinema of the nineties in the best way. It stands and falls entirely on the actions of two unpredictable people, thrown together through a combination of foolishness and bad decisions, and who stick together through a combination of selfishness and that kind of interpersonal magic sometimes known as falling in love. It’s a deeply imperfect film, mainly because the two main actors don’t quite pull off the wild plot swings, but Silver Star remains an oddly compelling independent film.
Billie (Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson) is a former soldier blind in one eye thanks to a fight with a policeman that was entirely her fault. In the same fight, her war hero father received the injury that put him in the care home where Franny (Grace Van Dien) works. Franny is heavily pregnant, a master manipulator who never shuts up and in spite of that a well-liked worker at the home. But thanks to an unwise decision Franny is fired, which means she has to go to the bank one morning to try to cash her final paycheck. This means she is there when Billie tries to rob the bank with an antique pistol.
I’d wager a great deal of money Billie was originally scripted by writer-directors Ruben Amar and Lola Bessis to be a male character. Maybe it’s sexist, but it’s hard to imagine a woman of color, even one who did a few tours of Afghanistan, being prepared to attack armed police in the America of the current moment. On the other hand, the choice to turn Billie into a woman adds a fresh twist to the aimless road trip plot. For it comes to pass that Franny and Billie end up on the run together with Billie’s unnamed horse. That’s right, a horse, as obviously Billie is also a committed Civil War reenactor, who enjoys the pageantry if not the community.
Unfortunately the choice to have Franny generally act like a petulant six-year-old, covering everything with stickers and constantly whining, makes it tough indeed to understand why Billie allows her to stay around. The idea that joining up will allow them both to solve all their problems is weak, not least because they are absolutely terrible at not attracting attention. Ms. Van Dien is very good in a showy part that’s irritating by design, whereas Ms. Johnson struggles more as the impulsive soldier no longer fighting an official war. Their interplay is mostly sweet, but neither of them have enough space to grow their characters despite their long hours in the car. And yet. It’s not good, but it’s oddly compelling. And at one point cinematographer Cole Graham rewards us with a fascinating shot of the women’s faces in a broken mirror that on its own is worth the price of admission.
Above all, Silver Star is reminiscent of the way many movies used to be made, with a girl and a gun, and clever talk between non-cliched characters making up for the lack of budget. It doesn’t quite come together, but Silver Star richly deserves its global festival success (including in Glasgow) and to act as a calling card for everyone involved.
Silver Star recently screened at the Glasgow Film Festival.
Learn more about the film at the Glasgow site for the title.
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