Review: American Fable

(rogeredbert.com)

Visually compelling and at times, well-acted, American Fable isn't quite the horror movie it was widely marketed to be. Reminiscent of Guillermo Del Toro, American Fable is written and directed by Anne Hamilton. It tells the story of a young girl named Gitty, played by Peyton Kennedy (Cut Bank), who envelops her life in fantastical stories to avoid the realization that her family may be in danger of losing their farm. When Gitty stumbles upon a man being held captive in her parents’ silo, Gitty soon realizes that some of those fantastical stories may be more than meets the eye. American Fable also stars Kip Pardue (Remember The Titans) and Marci Miller (Death Race 2050) as Gitty's parents and Richard Schiff (The West Wing) as the man in the silo.

A lot of the successes of American Fable rely on its actors. Peyton Kennedy in particular, is notably stellar in the main role. For an indie movie with relatively unknown actors and actresses, Hamilton and American Fable lucked out with Kennedy who carries much of the movie on her shoulders. The innocence and sometimes gullible Gitty, paired with Kennedy's youthful facial expressions make for a strong and elastic character. In addition, Pardue and Miller both excel as the caring and somewhat free-spirited parents of Gilly.

Shot in the Midwest, the rural backdrop of American Fable provides for strong visuals through impressive expanses of land and dreamy fields. Much of the film's cinematography is a lush environment of color and shadows. At the very least, it's an appealing film to stare at. Even within the confines of the family's farmhouse, there is something so pleasingly simple, yet fantastical. Like a truly lived in home, there is a warmth there that many horror movies fail to capture or ignore entirely.

At times, American Fable is too fuzzy. With the hefty densities of an elderly woman’s house, Amercian Fable is sometimes a stuffy endeavor to sift through. Where plotlines want to fly, the movie seems all too comfortable clipping feathers in exchange for over-explained and tepid storytelling. With a title so suggestive though, one would expect far more creation, rather than grounded realism.

American Fable isn't necessarily a scary movie. With small inflections of horror dotting the edges of what is otherwise an adult children's book. The movie truly plays out like a fairytale. It's an impressive endeavor for the lesser known Anne Hamilton and for fans of Guillermo Del Toro, there is definitely something to see here. I'll give it 6 out of 10 grain silos.