Doomed romantic crime thrillers are a dime a dozen, but when executed well, they can become classics of the genre. Looking to films such as Natural Born Killers, Bonnie and Clyde, and even Bound for inspiration, filmmaker Adam Rehmeier and screenwriter Tom Dean craft a harrowing story lifted up by two bold performances. Kyle Gallner and Samara Weaving—both of whom were unceremoniously killed early in their respective Scream films—have excellent chemistry as thieving couple Oliver and Caroline. This take on bank robbing star-crossed lovers has surprising depth that manages to make a familiar premise feel fresh again. Carolina Caroline takes audiences on a sweeping hustler’s journey across the Southeast that they’ll never forget.
After crossing paths with charming drifter and con artist, Oliver (Gallner), restless small-town gas station employee Caroline (Weaving) has her entire existence upended. Caroline meets Oliver as he’s supposedly just passing through town. A brief flirtation soon evolves into a romantic entanglement. As their love blossoms deeper, Caroline and Oliver carve up a wider trail of theft in their wake. Their situations grow increasingly more dangerous as their notoriety spreads far and wide.
In some earlier scenes, Oliver teaches Caroline the ways of the hustle, including manipulating cashiers to hand back the wrong change, or lifting an accessory when flirting by way of sex appeal. Weaving channels a curiosity in Caroline that leans into the character’s longing for reinvention. Caroline learns fast, furthered by Caroline’s utter fascination with Oliver’s ways. Still, a darkness lingers beneath the surface. Very real questions are sidelined. What’s the longevity of this lifestyle? Do Caroline and Oliver have any future prospects other than building their next con? As the pair bounce from Arkansas to Georgia to South Carolina, the answers to these questions become murkier as their relationship graduates to inseparability.
As Oliver, Gallner uses his charms to quite literally seduce those he comes into contact with. Caroline is the only person that seems capable of breaking through his hardened exterior. A different read of the film could be that this toxic relationship becomes all-consuming. But there’s a tenderness to their connection. Yeah, they’re doing subjectively terrible deeds in the name of their greedy gains, yet, neither Oliver nor Caroline appear to be truly awful people. Could they share a genuine love rather than a self-destructive pattern of chaos? The murkiness of the morality creates interesting layers of impact, calling into question one’s own reactions if placed in the same scenario. How far is too far? What will we do in the name of love? A beautifully cheesy greeting card message about being as free as a bird actually underlines many of the film’s larger themes.
Though Carolina Caroline may not quite be on the same level as Rehmeier and Gallner’s previous collaboration (Dinner in America), there’s still plenty to love from this moody outlaw romance. Weaving makes a meal of her Caroline, and the script neatly weaves together the duo’s exploits for a satisfying close. The opening/ending framing device works especially well, delivering a cyclical sense of inevitability. These were two people who changed each other to the core, both for better and for worse.
Fly as free as a bird with Carolina Caroline, in theaters on Friday, June 5, 2026.
