Stillwater was the fictional band William Miller (Patrick Fugit)
followed in Almost Famous (2000). This movie has nothing to do with that
movie, but that's why it caught my eye.

Instead, it's an extreme fictionalization of what happened to Amanda
Knox. Starring Matt Damon, playing Will Hunting if he'd never met Robin
Williams and wasn't a genius.

Bill (Matt Damon) is an ex-con ex-drunkard ex-horrid father who has
worked as a roughneck and a construction laborer. Now that he's cleaned
himself up, he's found religion. He lives in Stillwater Oklahoma.

Half a dozen years ago, in Marseille, his daughter Allison (Abigail
Breslin) was convicted of manslaughter in the murder of her lover Lina
for being unfaithful to her. The case was a cause celebr, for Allison
was a foreigner and because the press played up the lurid nature of the
lesbian affair. She was convicted of manslaughter after a quick investigation
and sentenced to 10 years.

All the time, she has insisted she was innocent.

Bill was largely absent from Allison's life growing up, thanks to
prison, being a drunk, and abandoning his wife. The wife didn't raise
her either. Instead, it was the wife's mother Sharon (Deanna Dunagan).
The grandmother had some money set aside and paid for the defense and
travel to Marseille during trial.

Visiting her in prison, she hands him a letter to give to her attorney.
It's in French. The letter contains a fourth-hand rumor from Allison's
former professor about a student at one of his parties who had heard
someone say that he'd killed Lena.

The attorney can't do anything with the information and refuses to
proceed. Father lies to daughter that something's happening but the
daughter soon learns the truth and asks her father not to return.

At his hotel, an obnoxious woman Virginie (Camille Cottin who had been
on Killing Eve) in the room next door won't turn her music down. The next
day, he finds her young daughter Maya (Lilou Siauvaud) locked out of the
hotel room and helps her. Virginie is grateful and sorry she'd been
nasty. She helps him translate the letter.

Virginie is an actress on stage in some modernist dreck and hoping to
win a role on tv. She has little money and sublets to Bill. At first,
she and Bill are not lovers but Bill wins over Maya's heart and sees her
as a second chance to raise a daughter.

Bill makes money workiing construction jobs.

Trying to do something for his own daughter, Bill remains in Marseille
to follow the lead the lawyer refused to follow. The professor gives him
the student's number. The student barely cooperates but eventually names
an Arab boy named Akim. Virginie becomes fascinated with the case, helps
with translation, and her friend has magical computer skills, quickly
tracks down photographs from social media. They figure out that he lives
in a housing project. Finding him, Bill gets beaten up by Akim's friends
and gang of drug dealers.

Telling his daughter, Allison is enraged that Bill has squandered her
last chance to clear her name.

Allison gets a one-day reprieve. Bill takes her to meet Virginie and
Maya. They have a nice time and Bill thinks he's connecting with his
daughter, but returning to prison, she attempts suicide. Nevertheless,
Bill keeps up the visits.

A retired cop, now a criminal investigator, offers to help Bill but Bill
cannot afford him. He does offer to get Akim's DNA tested as police
never identified a DNA sample at the crime scene.

In a coincidence, Bill takes Maya to a soccer match as she's a huge fan
and spots Akim at the game. After the game, Bill kidnaps Akim while Maya
sleeps in his van.

How can this possibly go wrong?

Finally he has something for the private detective to test but police
have been alerted to the kidnapping.

In a key scene, Akim begging for his life (Bill can't actually afford to
kill him), says "Stillwater", which Bill knows was a hometown gold
necklace he'd given Allison as a going-away present.

Akim tells him that Allison had hired him to "get rid of" Lina.

In prison, Allison had told her father that while she was in love with
Lina, Lina changed after they moved in together and immediately started
sleeping around. Yes, indeed, the police were absolutely correct about
Allison's motive. They just didn't know about the accomplice.

This makes Allison INCREDIBLY STUPID for having insisted upon her
innocence, for if police had had evidence that she'd hired Akim, that
would have made it a premeditated murder.

Allison would later insist that she never told Akim to murder her, just
get her to leave the apartment, but that doesn't exactly change the
premeditated nature of the crime.

Separately, both Maya and Virginie discovered Akim in the basement.
Fortunately for Bill, his girlfriend isn't stupid and lets Akim go.
Police find nothing and neither mother nor daughter will betray Bill to
the cops.

Virginie nevertheless throws Bill out.

Later, an unenthusiastic Bill is contacted by the lawyer with the good
news of the results of testing of the DNA sample, that somehow this
private detective just came upon it. It also matched a sample of DNA
found at a burglary scene after Allison was convicted.

Back in Stillwater, a parade is thrown for Allison and she finally tells
her father the truth.

Allison isn't really changed but Bill was enriched by his relationship
with Virginie and Maya and has a bit of an optimistic view of life.

Made on less than a $20 million budget. Apparently production wrapped
before COVID shutdowns but the movie's release was delayed.

Adam H. Kerman wrote:
> Stillwater was the fictional band William Miller (Patrick Fugit)
> followed in Almost Famous (2000). This movie has nothing to do with that
> movie, but that's why it caught my eye.
>
> Instead, it's an extreme fictionalization of what happened to Amanda
> Knox. Starring Matt Damon, playing Will Hunting if he'd never met Robin
> Williams and wasn't a genius.
>
> Bill (Matt Damon) is an ex-con ex-drunkard ex-horrid father who has
> worked as a roughneck and a construction laborer. Now that he's cleaned
> himself up, he's found religion. He lives in Stillwater Oklahoma.
>
> Half a dozen years ago, in Marseille, his daughter Allison (Abigail
> Breslin) was convicted of manslaughter in the murder of her lover Lina
> for being unfaithful to her. The case was a cause celebr, for Allison
> was a foreigner and because the press played up the lurid nature of the
> lesbian affair. She was convicted of manslaughter after a quick investigation
> and sentenced to 10 years.
>
> All the time, she has insisted she was innocent.
>
> Bill was largely absent from Allison's life growing up, thanks to
> prison, being a drunk, and abandoning his wife. The wife didn't raise
> her either. Instead, it was the wife's mother Sharon (Deanna Dunagan).
> The grandmother had some money set aside and paid for the defense and
> travel to Marseille during trial.
>
> Visiting her in prison, she hands him a letter to give to her attorney.
> It's in French. The letter contains a fourth-hand rumor from Allison's
> former professor about a student at one of his parties who had heard
> someone say that he'd killed Lena.
>
> The attorney can't do anything with the information and refuses to
> proceed. Father lies to daughter that something's happening but the
> daughter soon learns the truth and asks her father not to return.
>
> At his hotel, an obnoxious woman Virginie (Camille Cottin who had been
> on Killing Eve) in the room next door won't turn her music down. The next
> day, he finds her young daughter Maya (Lilou Siauvaud) locked out of the
> hotel room and helps her. Virginie is grateful and sorry she'd been
> nasty. She helps him translate the letter.
>
> Virginie is an actress on stage in some modernist dreck and hoping to
> win a role on tv. She has little money and sublets to Bill. At first,
> she and Bill are not lovers but Bill wins over Maya's heart and sees her
> as a second chance to raise a daughter.
>
> Bill makes money workiing construction jobs.
>
> Trying to do something for his own daughter, Bill remains in Marseille
> to follow the lead the lawyer refused to follow. The professor gives him
> the student's number. The student barely cooperates but eventually names
> an Arab boy named Akim. Virginie becomes fascinated with the case, helps
> with translation, and her friend has magical computer skills, quickly
> tracks down photographs from social media. They figure out that he lives
> in a housing project. Finding him, Bill gets beaten up by Akim's friends
> and gang of drug dealers.
>
> Telling his daughter, Allison is enraged that Bill has squandered her
> last chance to clear her name.
>
> Allison gets a one-day reprieve. Bill takes her to meet Virginie and
> Maya. They have a nice time and Bill thinks he's connecting with his
> daughter, but returning to prison, she attempts suicide. Nevertheless,
> Bill keeps up the visits.
>
> A retired cop, now a criminal investigator, offers to help Bill but Bill
> cannot afford him. He does offer to get Akim's DNA tested as police
> never identified a DNA sample at the crime scene.
>
> In a coincidence, Bill takes Maya to a soccer match as she's a huge fan
> and spots Akim at the game. After the game, Bill kidnaps Akim while Maya
> sleeps in his van.
>
> How can this possibly go wrong?
>
> Finally he has something for the private detective to test but police
> have been alerted to the kidnapping.
>
> In a key scene, Akim begging for his life (Bill can't actually afford to
> kill him), says "Stillwater", which Bill knows was a hometown gold
> necklace he'd given Allison as a going-away present.
>
> Akim tells him that Allison had hired him to "get rid of" Lina.
>
> In prison, Allison had told her father that while she was in love with
> Lina, Lina changed after they moved in together and immediately started
> sleeping around. Yes, indeed, the police were absolutely correct about
> Allison's motive. They just didn't know about the accomplice.
>
> This makes Allison INCREDIBLY STUPID for having insisted upon her
> innocence, for if police had had evidence that she'd hired Akim, that
> would have made it a premeditated murder.
>
> Allison would later insist that she never told Akim to murder her, just
> get her to leave the apartment, but that doesn't exactly change the
> premeditated nature of the crime.
>
> Separately, both Maya and Virginie discovered Akim in the basement.
> Fortunately for Bill, his girlfriend isn't stupid and lets Akim go.
> Police find nothing and neither mother nor daughter will betray Bill to
> the cops.
>
> Virginie nevertheless throws Bill out.
>
> Later, an unenthusiastic Bill is contacted by the lawyer with the good
> news of the results of testing of the DNA sample, that somehow this
> private detective just came upon it. It also matched a sample of DNA
> found at a burglary scene after Allison was convicted.
>
> Back in Stillwater, a parade is thrown for Allison and she finally tells
> her father the truth.
>
> Allison isn't really changed but Bill was enriched by his relationship
> with Virginie and Maya and has a bit of an optimistic view of life.
>
> Made on less than a $20 million budget. Apparently production wrapped
> before COVID shutdowns but the movie's release was delayed.

I saw that movie a few months ago, and I really liked it.

--
[NOM] wrote: