“American Rust”(2021)–Corrosion and Decay
American Rust is based on Philipp Meyer’s titular novel. This is a Showtime’s original series in which we watch police chief Del Harris (Jeff Daniels), struggle with his past. He is an Army combat veteran with PTSD, investigating the murder of a fellow police officer. Billy Poe, son of the woman he loves , Grace (Maura Tierney), is suspected of the murder.
The camera, in the open scene, pans the waste and decay in Buell, Pennsylvania–a “flyover” town outside Pittsburgh. The residents and community are on the margins of life. Two...