Steal Away

Buoyed by a fantastic cast and wholly attentive cinematography and costuming, Steal Away puts itself in the unenviable position of having to narratively settle up dense thematics.

There is a difference between trying to start a conversation by not stating the obvious and staying so opaque that a dialogue never even starts. “Steal Away” leans towards the latter.

The film’s script combines an examination of how structural and historical racism breeds a culture of abuse and generational trauma with an exploration of women’s complex, and often hurtful, relationship with our own bodies.

The female leads are captivating, Australian Angourie Rice as Fanny, awkward and inexperienced, who is captivated and jealous of Cécile, played by American newcomer Mallori Johnson. I