Americana movie storyline. Cal (Gavin Maddox Bergman) loves to watch black-and-white, cowboys-and-Indians films. While he’s enthralled with what he sees on the television, Joan Jett lookalike Mandy (Halsey) and local thug Dillian (Eric Dane) argue about why Cal, her brother, is so weird. Maybe it’s because he’s a white kid who claims to be the reincarnation of Lakota ancestor Sitting Bull.
To get them away from Dillian’s abusive household, Mandy knocks him unconscious and grabs the keys to his car to escape, but her brother wants to stay because “his people need him.” She has no choice but to leave, claiming to return to him when things are financially stable. Finally waking up, Dillion grabs a gun to pursue his former girlfriend but finds her gone and Cal armed with a bow and arrow. He thinks this kid is joking when arrows start to fly, but he soon learns that this pretend Native American boy isn’t playing games.
Lefty Ledbetter (Hauser) recites his proposal speech for waitress Penny Jo Poplin (Sweeney) at the local diner. He plans to pop the question to his girlfriend of two weeks. The young woman tries to offer advice, but she struggles due to a stammer. From behind the counter, she notices a young man on a call writing something on a napkin and leaves the restaurant.
Penny rushes over to read what it says — “Friday diner 4pm” with four dollar signs at the bottom. After meeting Lefty at a bar the same night, she convinces him to come to her job on the day of this meeting to eavesdrop to see what all the fuss is about.
What they uncover is a heist plot among Dillion, Fun Dave (Joe Adler) and Roy Lee Dean (Rex) to steal a ghost shirt and sell it on the black market. With this new information, the duo strike a plot somehow to get the shirt and keep the money for themselves. However, that doesn’t go so smoothly once Ghost Eye (McClarnon) and the Indigenous community get involved. Trust me, this is all connected.
Americana (formerly known as National Anthem) is a 2023 American crime thriller film, written and directed by Tony Tost. It stars Sydney Sweeney, Paul Walter Hauser, Halsey, Eric Dane, Zahn McClarnon, and Simon Rex. It had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 17, 2023. In March 2024, Lionsgate acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film.
Americana (2023)
Directed by: Tony Tost
Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Paul Walter Hauser, Halsey, Eric Dane, Zahn McClarnon, Gavin Maddox Bergman, Simon Rex, Derek Hinkey, Toby Huss, Harriet Sansom Harris, Donald Cerrone
Screenplay by: Tony Tost
Production Design by: Russell Barnes
Cinematography by: Nigel Bluck
Film Editing by: Peter McNulty
Costume Design by: Jillian Bundrick
Set Decoration by: Jessica Clark
Art Direction by: Loren Schoel
Music by: David Fleming
MPAA Rating: R for violence, language throughout and some sexual references.
Distributed by: Lionsgate Films
Release Date: March 17, 2023 (SXSW)
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