Katie Says Goodbye

In a breathtakingly fluid and evocative performance, indie breakout Olivia Cooke (Me, Earl & the Dying Girl) reveals astonishing depth and range as Katie, whose scant 17 years have seen little in the way of nurturing. She receives more mothering from her kind, perceptive boss Maybelle (an excellent Mary Steenburgen) than her actual mother, searingly portrayed by Mirielle Enos (The Killing). Resilient, sweet Katie dreams of leaving the bleak reality of trailer parks, roadside diners, and cordial backseat prostitution behind, through enormous self-determination and sheer belief in the romance of her ambition. Her escape fantasy is propelled by her affair with Christopher Abbot's (James White) sullen mechanic Bruno, an enigmatic ex-con who provides the barest hint of what might be love. Wayne Roberts' powerful directorial debut resonates with sympathy for the unbroken spirit of his heroine, even as we sense Katie's gossamer dreams will not come without some form of reckoning. (Mill Valley Film Festival)