Huge, sublime, religious in the way that celestial bodies are religious: a slow inevitable movement across impossible expanses of shifting light. And then Timothee Chalmet delivers a line in flat American English that’s like “You good bro?” And idk, the magic feels silly for a second. Also, he doesn’t know how to hug people. Multiple times he gives these limp, coquettish half-hugs to his “best friends” and it bums me out. Like if you’re gonna go for boyish exuberance, go full in. Otherwise stay moody, let your face/hair do the talking, and just stare at the beautiful sand. Those parts were great. The staring into sand

Sean Baker shows small-town Americans without too much pity or glory or condescension. He does this by allowing them to be (naturally) funny and keeping them self-aware, even as they constantly lie to themselves. This tension plays well with his films’ color choices, which I would describe as “sun-drenched”

This particular movie does meander a bit, but I didn’t mind. Wasn’t 100% on-board with the n’sync throughline. WAS 100% on-board with the Trump throughline, and one could make an argument that this movie is very much about Donald Trump. Who else could tie this all together but Dirt Nasty, who was born to play this role