Overview

• Americana marks Tony Tost’s feature directorial debut after premiering at SXSW in 2023 and spending two years in festival circuits before its wide release.
• The neo-western crime thriller centers on South Dakota locals vying for a rare Lakota ghost shirt that drives intersecting heist and revenge storylines.
• Ensemble performances from Halsey, Paul Walter Hauser, Simon Rex, Eric Dane and Zahn McClarnon support Sydney Sweeney’s breakout lead role as diner waitress Penny Jo.
• Critics commend the film’s chaptered, non-linear structure and polished production values even as they note its heavy debt to B-movie influences like Quentin Tarantino and the Coen Brothers.
• Several reviewers raise concerns that the film’s portrayal of Indigenous characters and its treatment of the ghost shirt artifact lack cultural nuance.