A father travels from Oklahoma to France to help his estranged daughter, who is in prison for a murder she claims she didn’t commit.
Matt Damon, in this film, has proven once again, the versatility of his talents. As Bill Baker, a father from the small town of Stillwater, Oklahoma, he is trying to make it in the midst of doing odd jobs and proving to his daughter that he has her back. He has made many mistakes in his lifetime, and he finally wants to do right by his daughter, Allison (Abigail Breslin) who is in France serving a 9-year prison sentence for murder after moving there to attend college. When the film opens, Bill is having a conversation with his mother-in-law about things that have transpired since the death of his wife who committed suicide. She is preparing some things for him to take to his daughter and trying to encourage him to be there for her the best he can in spite of his own personal struggles.
When Bill arrives at a small hotel in Marseille, France, he notices a small girl, Maya ( Lilou Siauvaud) who is playing ball by herself, and later he sees her again outside of her room and finds out that she is locked out. For some reason, he is drawn to her and after helping her to get a key to get back in, he soon meets her mother Virginie (Camille Cottin) who thanks him for helping her daughter while she was away. The three soon form a friendship and Camille helps Bill to translate a letter that his daughter gives him to give to her lawyer after he visits her. Bill soon finds out that Allison is trying to get her sentence turned over and when her lawyer says she wants no part of it and that he should spend more time helping Allison accept the truth, Bill becomes hell-bent on finding someone who can help his daughter get out of jail. Bill decides to extend his stay in France as he tries to finagle through the legal system and at the same time, he tries to lift Allison’s spirit by refusing to tell her the truth about the lawyer not agreeing to do more with her case. Bill makes a deal to rent a room from Allison while he looks for work and he also is helping Allison by watching her daughter Maya so she can work.
Bill’s relationship with Maya grows as he spends more time with her and keeps her occupied while her mother catches up on paying her bills and after a few hits and misses, Bill and Virginie start showing affection for each other. While Bill, Maya, and Virginie grow closer together, a big rift develops between Allison and Bill when she finds out that he has been lying to her about the judge working on her case. Even though she refuses to see him, he still tries to work through the system and when she is granted day leave from prison, Bill is the only one who can take her away. During this time together they try to rebuild their broken relationship as Bill fully divulges himself into seeking out the person who he believes committed the murder that his daughter is serving time for. In the end, after the relentless work of her father, Allison is released from prison and brought home to a celebration from the entire town. Shortly thereafter, Bill receives some shocking news and when he confronts Allison with it, the trajectory changes both of their lives forever.
Director Tom McCarthy did an excellent job of shaping Matt Damon’s character against the backdrop of two different cultures that seemed to never give him the compassion he needed yet didn’t feel he deserved. While Bill admitted he had made some terrible mistakes in life, he was hell-bent on doing the best he could to redeem himself as well as make a better life for those in his circle. From living in a small town to thriving in his own way in a place that was totally unfamiliar to him, Bill was able to find happiness in doing for others and trying to make full recovery over his bad choices. The entire cast did a remarkable job of showing how each of their personalities worked together for the good of the entire group and no one was exempt from learning invaluable lessons about life from one another.
In Theaters Friday, July 30th
