Two of American cinema’s most fruitful periods — the New Hollywood era of the 1960s and ’70s and the Sundance-fueled independent movement of the ’90s — featured an outsized number of lovers-on-the-run movies. Of course, these sorts of films have been around for ages (check out Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 spy thriller The 39 Steps for a fun early entry), but for some reason, they pop up more often during revolutionary phases of filmmaking in the U.S. Directors can’t help but be intoxicated by the concept of crossing brutal violence with genuine, heartfelt romance. The ultimate example is 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde, the flash-bang that set off the New Hollywood movement.
That landmark film is an obvious influence on Adam Carter Rehmeier’s Carolina Caroline, which stars Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner as a pair of lovers named Caroline and Oliver on a perilous journey from Texas to South Carolina. But this iteration also takes major inspiration from 1973’s Badlands, the gorgeous feature-film debut from Terrence Malick starring Sissy Spacek and Martin Sheen. Like Badlands, Carolina Caroline sees a young woman (Spacek in the former, Weaving in the latter) plucked from Podunk by a charismatic criminal (Sheen, Gallner) to go on a crime spree. For the formula to work, the young stars need to have believable chemistry — enough that we’re willing to ride with them through any violence that may occur. Weaving and Gallner’s chemistry is on display from the opening scene.
Weaving has become something of a genre movie queen since her breakout starring role in the gleeful 2019 horror-comedy Ready or Not. She has starred in 10 horror or thriller movies in the eight years since Ready or Not’s debut. I thought she was destined for A-list status following that performance, but she’s become somewhat overshadowed by fellow Aussie Margot Robbie’s ascension to mega-stardom. (Their similar looks were utilized brilliantly in my beloved Babylon.) She’s found her groove in down-and-dirty thrillers like Carolina Caroline. The Southern accent is a bit spotty, but she’s right at home in the subject matter. Gallner has paved a similar lane for himself after compelling roles in grimy pictures like Strange Darling and The Passenger. Aside from a monstrous one-scene performance from Kyra Sedgwick, Weaving and Gallner do all the heavy lifting.
The romantic crime thriller is a departure from Rehmeier’s previous outing, the criminally underseen Snack Shack, a coming-of-age story centering on high school kids working at a summertime community pool. But what both movies have in common is a strong sense of place. Carolina Caroline was not filmed on a backlot in Atlanta. The dive bars, shitty motels and tiny town squares feel lived-in.
The film also features a killer soundtrack full of Nashville artists, with entries including a sublime use of Jason Isbell’s “Cover Me Up,” a bank-robbing montage set to Chris Stapleton’s “Parachute,” and a couple of old-school Music City needle-drops: Townes Van Zandt’s heart-wrenching “Tecumseh Valley” and Loretta Lynn’s version of “Before the Next Teardrop Falls.”
With a rollicking soundtrack, convincing atmosphere and a dedicated pair of leads, Carolina Caroline amounts to more than a sum of its influences to leave a lasting impression.
