Camila Morrone may still be best known as the girlfriend of Leonardo DiCaprio but the attention really ought to be towards her acting skills, for she’s rapidly established herself as a bona fide performer. Morrone impressed as the co-lead in A24’s Never Goin’ Back and further displays her strong abilities at the center of this absorbing rural drama.
Exciting new talents
Bull actress Annabelle Attanasio expands her experience of performance and making short films to pen and direct Mickey and the Bear, proving herself to be particularly adept at character work, a natural extension to acting. This film may revolve around Morrone’s titular character but it works as a two-hander with James Badge Dale, who greatly complements Morrone’s performance as Mickey’s father Hank.
Mickey Peck is in her late-teens and forced to assume responsibilities beyond her age, taking care of her drug-addicted veteran dad whilst balancing the end of her high-school studies. Asked by her father’s prescriber, Dr Leslee Watkins (Rebecca Henderson), if she’s decided where to go for college yet, she pensively replies “I don’t know yet… just here.”
The war at home
Mickey’s bad boy boyfriend Aron (Ben Rosenfield) behaves like he’s oblivious to America’s opioid crisis, stealing Hank’s oxycontin for fun before Mickey slaps some sense into him, an early event that exacerbates the tension between Mickey and her close ones. There’s a deep intensity to Hank behind the wisecracks, fearsome in the way only a soldier who fought in the battle of Fallujah can be, yet he never so much as explodes as he does implode – a complexity that the great James Badge Dale realises with dexterity.
Mickey’s ability to tame the bear keeps her at home to take care of Hank, despite her ambitions for a richer existence, evident in the melancholic expression that forms on her face every time she’s with him which contrasts with the life-affirming sensation brought to her the blissful solitude of the Pacific Ocean. Many filmmakers haven’t recognised how a veteran’s PTSD takes a toll on their children as Attanasio does here and Morrone is brilliant at internalising the emotional whirlwind of her character’s patrimony.
Rural claustrophobia
The limits of space and destiny are tangible in the small city of Anaconda, Montana, where Mickey spends her time with the few locals in the few locales. Beyond the doctor, the boyfriend and the dad, there’s the charming new British classmate Wyatt (Calvin Demba, currently on the big screen for Last Christmas), who offers escapism for Mickey – if you only watched the scenes of them together, you’d have little clue to what Mickey is dealing with every other hour.
The climax comes quite out of the blue considering the character development and, having mulled over it for a few days, I’m still skeptical that it was a natural progression of the journey. Ultimately, though, it ends on a poignant note, so it’s unfair to say one scene undermines Attanasio’s skill as a dramatist. I’m excited to see where she goes next, hopefully offering more realistic, affecting tales out of the Northwestern US.
Mickey and the Bear: Conclusion
The tale of tough child-parent relationship is nothing new but Attanasio connects with us in meaningful ways through a strong theme that comes through the delicately drawn characters and verisimilitudinous milieu. To say this is simply a showcase for Morrone and Badge Dale would be ignoring the nuanced take on post-war trauma from the perspective of a daughter, a point-of-view uncommon in cinema, however I also think it’s okay to recommend Mickey and the Bear for the performances alone.
This modest Heartland indie probably doesn’t have the budget to campaign for the attention of “For Your Consideration” recipients but, with any luck, Mickey and the Bear will be recognised like Winter’s Bone before it, giving the breakout director and star the industry credit they deserve. Finally, for what it’s worth, this film would make a great double bill with Honey Boy.
What are your favourite dramas set in the Heartland? Let us know in the comments below.
Mickey and the Bear will be released in US cinemas on November 13th 2019. To see upcoming festival screenings and release dates in other territories, click here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ6fDHro3Rk
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