Palisadian Matt Damon Stars in ‘Stillwater’

By LILY TINOCO | Reporter

Palisadian Matt Damon has a starring role in the upcoming drama directed by Tom McCarthy “Stillwater,” alongside actress Abigail Breslin.

The film follows Bill Baker (Damon), an American oil-rigger from Oklahoma who travels to France to visit his daughter Allison (Breslin) who is imprisoned for a murder she claims she did not commit.

“Confronted with language barriers, cultural differences and a complicated legal system, Bill makes it his personal mission to exonerate his daughter,” according to Variety. “In the process, he develops a friendship with a local woman and her young daughter, and embarks on a personal journey of discovery and a larger sense of belonging in the world.”

The film’s original release date was set for November 6, 2020, but the date was pulled from the schedule. “Stillwater” had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday, July 8, where Damon and the film’s team reportedly received a five-minute standing ovation.

In an interview with CBS, Damon said he was overwhelmed by the response.

“We’ve been sitting on this movie for so long … I’ve been watching stuff on my television like everybody else for a year and a half, and to go back into a theater and be reminded that turning the lights out with hundreds or a thousand strangers, and taking in something together is really wonderful,” Damon said.

He later added that this was one of the best experiences he ever had making a movie.

Production for the film was announced in 2019 when Damon was spotted across Oklahoma, specifically in Coyle in Logan County. Damon shared that he was on a road trip through Oklahoma with McCarthy before filming for research.

“I really wanted to do [the movie],” he shared. “I’ve been dying to work with Tom McCarthy, the director, and I just thought it was such a beautiful story and such a great role.”

Damon, whose Upper Riviera home has been on the market since January, said he is not planning on working again this fall, as he and his family prepare to make New York City their primary home.

“Stillwater” is slated to be distributed in theaters in the United States on Friday, July 30.