The trailer for Americana is out, and it is already drawing some unique cinematic comparisons. Directed by Tony Tost, the movie is about a group of small-town residents, including outsiders and outcasts, whose lives intertwine when a rare Lakota Ghost shirt goes onto the black market in a South Dakota town. The movie was originally screened at the SXSW film festival in 2023, and eventually secured distribution through Lionsgate last year. Now, it is set for release on August 22, 2025, two years after its first screening.

Americana features Paul Walter Hauser, Zahn McClarnon, Eric Dane, Simon Rex, Halsey, Harriet Samson Harris, and Sydney Sweeney. While there are multiple impressive cast members, Sweeney has had a particularly notable career boost over the last few years. She had breakout roles in Euphoria and The White Lotus season 1 and now has been in a smattering of тιтles, including Anyone But You and Immaculate. As the trailer for Americana is released, Sweeney’s role can be seen in more detail.

The First Trailer For Sydney Sweeney’s Americana Is Out – And It’s Drawing Comparisons To Quentin Tarantino’s Movies

Americana Has Over-the-Top Violence

Lionsgate has released the first trailer for Americana, and it gives a better look at Sweeney’s lead character Penny Jo Poplin. In the trailer’s opening, Lefty Ledbetter (Hauser) asks Penny what she would do if she had $1 million, responding that she would sing country music professionally in Nashville. As the trailer shows Penny in her day job working in a diner, the main conflict surrounding the Lakota Ghost shirt is revealed. As various groups vie for control of the Ghost shirt, the Americana trailer grows increasingly violent.

Americana already looks like Tost’s version of a Quentin Tarantino movie. As is the case in Tarantino’s work, Americana is replete with violence, and that is elevated to over-the-top proportions that are often comedic. The locus of the comedic violence seems to be Halsey’s character, who at one point says to a child “listen to me, I just smashed that son of a bitch’s head in” after attacking Dane’s character with a hammer. Later, she dramatically exclaims “Right now I’m apparently in the middle of a goddamn murder spree.”

Moments like these emphasize Americana‘s use of larger-than-life violence for comedy. Committing that violence is a cast of quirky characters that also seem like they could be lifted straight from Reservoir Dogs or The Hateful Eight. The trailer is admittedly less bloody than much of Tarantino’s work, but the full film could amp up that part of its violence.

Sydney Sweeney Has Already Worked With Quentin Tarantino, But Her Role Was Pretty Small

She Played Snake In Once Upon A Time…in Hollywood

The visual style is not the only way that Americana connects to the Pulp Fiction director’s work. Sweeney has actually worked with Tarantino before, playing a role in Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood. The 2019 Tarantino movie was well-received, winning Academy Awards for Best Production Design and Best Supporting Actor for Brad Pitt. Sweeney played Snake, a member of the Manson family, in the film.

While the Manson family in general play a pretty significant part in Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, Snake’s role is actually pretty small. Sweeney is seen playing the character at Spahn Ranch but is not one of the actual murderers, and thus is not given as much screen time. Her role is so limited that some viewers might not even remember that she is in it.

Americana Gives Sydney Sweeney The Leading Role Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Couldn’t Have

Sweeney Is A Bigger Actor Now

When Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood was made, Sweeney was not the established star that she is now. If the Tarantino film were made today, it would be likely that Sweeney would have played a major role as big as Sharon Tate, who was played by Margot Robbie. The movie included several stars-to-be in smaller roles, including Mikey Madison, Maya Hawke, and Margaret Qualley.

While Sweeney was just one face in a stacked ensemble then, Americana will give her a chance to take on a bigger part. Now established in her career, the actor is much more likely to draw audiences to the film. Though it’s not affiliated with Tarantino in any way, Americana will give Sweeney the chance to play the central role in a Tarantino-esque tale. This will be a unique way for her to honor an earlier point in her career.

Source: Lionsgate