Carolina Caroline – Review

A small cast with big ambition, Carolina Caroline brings crime capers and dark drama galore. Caroline Daniels (Weaving) works at a Culver’s General Store gas station in a very tiny town in middle ‘o nowhere Texas. In walks stranger Oliver Anderson (Gallner). He has parked outside and needs a bag of nuts, but is staying in town. After an odd cash transaction that Caroline monitors closely, Oliver walks out with his bag of nuts and a $20 bill. But, wait, did all, those transactional things go as they should have?

As Oliver and Caroline talk outside, it appears that this small-town girl may be flirting with forces that she isn’t used to dealing with. Maybe a meeting later at the town bar that night will further their character details. Oliver may be used to swindling people out of their money. Caroline may be used to big dreams of other things, and traveling the U.S. Maybe she’s got something hidden in her besides this timid girl after all.

Carolina Caroline may hit with some basic setup elements, but honestly, they feel right in these actors’ hands. The vintage settings, shots, vehicles, styles, sights, sounds, and feels all elicit the atmosphere of nostalgia for a classic crime tale of passionate lovers on the run, fueled by adrenaline, money, desire, power, sex and unable to stop their rampage. Despite allllll of that, the presentation is controlled mayhem, with spots of tension, as well as scenes of emotional clarity, done with a soft touch.

Acting is great, but Gallner is used to taking roles that push him to his limits, and Weaving has yet to slow down since she entered the scene, finding another interesting character to fall into here. Yes, she is a super pretty small-town girl, but she has a decent range presented throughout the runtime and emotional complexities grow. Oh, and Kyra Sedgwick per usual is great.

The quality presented here is top notch, beginning with the writing and leading to the actors through the directing. The shots and music also help round out a very well-done picture, which while it may have some typical “Bonnie and Clyde” type building blocks still make it a worthwhile picture to check it out. Plenty of passion when into making this feature and it should be seen.