American Meltdown

Finally, a smart filmmaker has found the pulse of a generational heart attack in the super duper neo-noir American Meltdown, written and directed by Andrew Adams. Olivia Walker (Jacki Von Preysing) is a talented interior designer who is confused about why her boss, Ms. Gagne (Bella Shaw), is laying her off. Mr. Gagne explains that to avoid paying Olivia benefits, the company needs her to take 90 unpaid days off to prevent her from becoming a full-time employee.

The problem is that Olivia cannot make the rent without her job, as her wealthy boyfriend, Rich (Christopher Mychael Watson), walked out on her. Olivia has used up all her savings paying the rent by herself, so not having any income is catastrophic. When she gets home, she finds her door broken open and her house burglarized. It takes hours for Officer Joe Bronson (Shaun Boylan) to arrive to investigate, with the property manager Lou (Clayton Ferris) breathing down his neck to ensure the holding company is not liable. Officer Bronson lets Olivia know that they usually don’t solve these kinds of crimes, that most burglary victims suffer PTSD, and that whoever did it knows where she lives. Olivia starts noticing every creak and goes to bed with a knife.

“While uncontrollably watching her life fall apart, she meets Mari Navarro… who swipes wallets to get by.”

While uncontrollably watching her life fall apart, she meets Mari Navarro (Nicolette Sweeney) on the beach. During their unusual meeting, Olivia discovers Mari swipes wallets to get by. What happens next is told by Olivia in flashback at a police station to Detective Ed Sampson (DeMorge Brown), who lets her know she had no idea of the depth of the felonies committed by the wanted fugitive known as Mari Navarro…

American Meltdown is a modern-day neo-noir in the classic Los Angeles tradition, containing the same dark majesty you would find in a classic Stan Ridgway album. The noir tradition of the late 40s was an organic American reaction to the cataclysm of the Second World War, with many left disillusioned and ready to burn the world down on the wrong side of the law. I feel we are in a similar situation in the twenties, as the price spikes post-pandemic have pushed many into the sidelines of questionable legality.