We’ve had no shortage of cinematic outlaws trying to outrun the crushing mundanity of small-town existence by steering straight into a ditch of their own making. It’s a well-worn, distinctly American subgenre, but when executed with the right blend of grit and genuine character-driven friction, it can still pack quite the punch. The first trailer from Magnolia Pictures for the forthcoming romantic crime thriller Carolina Caroline suggests a return to the lean, character-centric fatalism of neo-noir.
Directed by Adam Carter Rehmeier (Dinner in America) from a screenplay penned by Tom Dean, this particular descent into the criminal underworld stars Samara Weaving (Over Your Dead Body, Borderline) as Caroline Daniels. For a woman suffocating under the weight of her Texas upbringing, Kyle Gallner’s (Strange Darling, The Cleansing Hour) smooth-talking grifter offers a way out that is as dangerous as it is tempting. Their union sparks a spiraling odyssey through the Southeast, where the promise of liberation is quickly eclipsed by the mounting consequences of their shared transgressions.
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The film marks a reunion for Rehmeier and Gallner following their collaboration on the 2020 Sundance hit Dinner in America. While that previous outing leaned into punk-rock comedy, this latest effort shifts toward a moodier, character-driven noir.
The supporting cast includes Kyra Sedgwick (“The Closer”, Family Movie) and Jon Gries (“The White Lotus”, Napoleon Dynamite). Also, a significant component of the film’s regional atmosphere is its soundtrack, which features over a dozen country and Americana artists, including Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton, and Loretta Lynn.
You can watch the trailer below. Carolina Caroline arrives in theaters nationwide on June 5.
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