Director: Anne Hamilton
Writer: Anne Hamilton (Screenplay)
Starring: Peyton Kennedy, Richard Schiff, Kip Pardue, Marci Miller, Gavin MacIntosh, Zuleikha Robinson
Plot: After 11-year-old Gitty discovers a man who can grant wishes hiding in her family’s silo, she is forced to choose between saving the man’s life and protecting her family.
Runtime: 1 Hour 36 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Thriller That Lacks the Punch
Story: American Fable starts as we meet the sweet nature 11-year-old Gitty (Kennedy) who never wants to hurt any animals on her farm with her family father Abe (Pardue), mother Sarah (Miller) and brother Martin (MacIntosh) who teases her about hurting the animals.
When Gitty discovers a man Jonathan (Schiff) under the silo on the farm, she is offered a deal to help him and after her father has an accident, she is offered a chance to save the man in exchange for fixing her father, only there is something else going on within her family.
Thoughts on American Fable
Characters – Gitty is the sweet natured young girl, she wouldn’t hurt a fly always wanting to protect injured animals, despite what is happening in her family, she sees somebody in need of help she will try to help, which leaves her in a position of helping somebody who isn’t a good person, she just doesn’t know. Jonathan is the man under the silo, he askes for help from Gitty and comes off friendly, he wants help, though the rest of the family have more to say about him. Abe is the father of the house, he always makes sure Gitty is happy, until he gets injured, with Sarah being stricter than her husband, but always wanting the best for Gitty.
Performances – Peyton Kennedy is wonderful in the leading role, she shows all the innocence about her character to make us want to see her get the best out of her character’s life. Richard Schiff is great to watch, always being interesting to see, while the rest of the cast is strong through the film.
Story – The story here follows a young girl living on a farm that discovers a man trapped under the silo and must decide whether to help him or not, with her family having other ideas about why he is there. This is a story that shows how a child could get caught up in the middle of something bigger, it shows how they will use the naturally good nature in them to try and help people in need, while something bigger is going on, outside of their control. This side of the story is great, once we get into what is happening, which we only really learn the same as Gitty, it is left a bit too open for its own good, leaving us asking more than we get.
Thriller – This is a film that tries to keep us guessing to the bigger picture, which is nice, only it doesn’t seem to deliver a strong enough conclusion.
Settings – The film is set completely on the farm, it shows that this is Gitty strongest environment and it plays into the bigger picture of the events.
Scene of the Movie – Chess.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It leaves too much open.
Final Thoughts – This is an interesting idea that does keep us guessing, it just doesn’t nail the landing, leaving us asking more than it answers.
Overall: Interesting Thriller.
