Criminality and conspiracies connect in Carolina Caroline. The Chicago Critics Film Festival took on an insane, spellbinding ride filled with robberies and new identities. A new life is possible, but the consequences stir up many elements along with a wide range of emotions. Directed by Adam Rehmeier, Carolina Caroline is unsettling. But the limits are set in a way that makes the finished product as cinematic as possible. Once the crimes get rolling, the hotter the conflicts get. I was boiling in my seat with this surreal ride of unexpected altitudes. While I watched, it felt like being on plane reaching unforeseen heights.

The film stars a couple, Caroline (Samara Weaving) and Oliver (Kyle Gallner). Caroline is searching for her lost mother. However, she has fallen in love with a man who teaches hervarious ways to get rich by cheating the system. Their issues get increasingly more serious as they get wealthier by robbing banks. Soon their trail catches up to them. They may have felt satisfaction at first, but is Caroline truly happy? Is this run formoney going to bring her any form of real joy? Will it bring her closer to her mother? How far will she go with Oliver? 

This is a mesmerizing portrait of what it means when someone must draw the line. It also displays the reasons they stop while they are ahead. Caroline feels like Oliver is her only way out, but deep down she has more to offer. She can start over, but that will be harder considering the many crimes she has been involved in. This film is a wild ride of deceit and crime, and the consequences do not lie. Three-and-a-half out of four stars for Carolina Caroline.