American Woman
Over eleven painful years, a fiercely defensive Pennsylvania mother raises her grandson while searching for closure after her teenage daughter disappears.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- bleak
- intimate
- quiet evening
- emotionally cathartic viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Sienna Miller's commanding, emotionally nuanced performance and the film's conscientious working-class character study, while finding the script overly cautious and melodramatic.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The story tracks Deb across eleven years as she raises her grandson, pursues relationships, and seeks closure after Bridget's disappearance.
Deb's life unfolds in a blue-collar Pennsylvania town, with family responsibilities and limited resources shaping her choices.
Bridget's vanishing continues to structure Deb's grief, caregiving, relationships, and need for truth over many years.
Deb's sharp-edged personality gradually reveals vulnerability as she survives single parenthood, romantic upheaval, and unresolved grief.
Films like American Woman, and why
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
working-class family drama centered on grief, endurance, and a woman rebuilding her life after devastating loss
The Lovely Bones
emotionally intense missing-person drama with a strong female lead and complicated family relationships
Winter's Bone
grounded social drama about motherhood, poverty, and years of emotional resilience
The Good House
female-led domestic drama tracing personal hardship and transformation across changing relationships
Movie Details
- Director
- Jake Scott
- Release Date
- 2018-06-07
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (167)
Cast
- Sienna Miller
- Christina Hendricks
- Aaron Paul
- Will Sasso
- Sky Ferreira
- Pat Healy
- Alex Neustaedter
- E. Roger Mitchell
- Kentucker Audley
- Aidan McGraw
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is American Woman about?
- Over eleven painful years, a fiercely defensive Pennsylvania mother raises her grandson while searching for closure after her teenage daughter disappears.
- What is American Woman like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of American Woman as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is American Woman violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in American Woman.
- What did critics think of American Woman?
- Critics broadly praised Sienna Miller's commanding, emotionally nuanced performance and the film's conscientious working-class character study, while finding the script overly cautious and melodramatic.
- Which films are like American Woman?
- Films with a similar feel include Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Lovely Bones, Winter's Bone, and The Good House.
- How long is American Woman?
- American Woman runs 111 minutes.
- Where can I watch American Woman?
- In United States, American Woman streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
