Riley Keough has demonstrated a remarkable amount of variety by appearing in some of the most celebrated films of her era, ranging from a free-spirited hippie selling magazines across the American Midwest to a terrified mother attempting to survive in a post-apocalyptic setting. It’s no simple assignment to narrow down her most important performances to just nine. This list could easily have included a completely other collection of performances. It is all the more astounding given her career’s relative youth. Here are some of her most memorable performances.
1. Lovesong (2016)
Director- So Yong Kim
Sarah (Riley Keough), who has been neglect by her husband, embarks on an impromptu road trip with her small kid and her best friend, Mindy (Jena Malone). The relationship between the two buddies grows stronger along the journey before circumstances force them apart. Years later, in the days leading up to Mindy’s wedding, Sarah tries to rekindle their romance.
2. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Director- George Miller
Max Rockatansky, a lone post-apocalyptic survivor, fights to keep one step ahead of the water-controlling tyrant Immortan Joe’s marauding gangs. The Wild Boys, after a close escape in the arid deserts of the dystopian Wasteland. Max, on the other hand, will soon run upon one of Joe’s most trusted lieutenants, the courageous warrior Imperator Furiosa. It has just departed the Citadel in her heavily armoured War Rig truck, absconding with an irreplaceable quintet of women. Now, the mighty ruler and his legion of insane zealots are on the hunt for Max and Furiosa, an unlikely duo.
3. American Honey (2016)
Director- Andrea Arnold
Star, a troubled 18-year-old Texan, chooses to flee her problematic home and, enticed by the charms of Jake, the brash and rebellious lead salesman of a travelling door-to-door magazine subscription selling team, sets out for Kansas City on a road trip across the American Midwest. The American Honey from the South, will eventually find a place where she can truly belong among a motley group of adolescent misfits. She will soon submerge herself deep into a world of recklessness, daring self-exploration, experimentation, and passionate love. Star, swept up and perplexed by the confident Jake. It will eventually take the risk of falling in love and being injure. Even if it means drifting and getting lost along the road.
4. The Girlfriend Experience (2009)
Director- Steven Soderbergh
Chelsea is a $2,000-an-hour Manhattan call girl who provides a ‘girlfriend experience,’ which includes dressing for the client, going out to dinner and a movie, listening intently to discussions about work and finances, and providing sex. It’s October 2008, and the economy is in free collapse as a presidential election approaches. Chris, her boyfriend, works as a personal trainer. Chelsea’s life is present on five non-consecutive days. She’s updating her website, consulting with image consultants, and being interviewed by a reporter. She inquires about her clients’ birthdays and uses this information to make an astrological prognosis. She’s drawn to a new customer, an L.A.-based writer.
5. Logan Lucky (2017)
Director- Steven Soderbergh
Jimmy Logan’s construction position at the Charlotte Motor Speedway has been eliminated. He discovers that his ex-wife Bobbie Jo and her new husband are moving to Lynchburg, making it even more difficult for Jimmy to visit. Jimmy visits his brother Clyde, an Iraq War veteran who lost his hand in the conflict. Max Chilblain, a conceited British businessman and owner of a NASCAR team, arrives with his buddies and taunts Clyde, resulting in a brawl with Jimmy. Meanwhile, Clyde uses a Molotov cocktail to set fire to Max’s automobile. Jimmy cries “cauliflower” as he walks away, which Clyde knows as a code word they used when they were younger and committed crimes. Jimmy discloses his plan to rob the Speedway the next day, using his expertise of their pneumatic tube system to move money.
6. It Comes At Night (2017)
Director- Trey Edward Shults
After a sudden outbreak of a virulent and terminally communicable disease, Paul, his wife, Sarah, and their son, Travis, have been confined to their boarded-up house deep in the dismal and hazardous forest. In those circumstances, contact with the outside world is limited and only occurs when absolutely essential; nevertheless, when a family in need of food and shelter arrives at Paul’s house, the delicate balance of things will be thrown off. As the difficult coexistence between the two families continues, mistrust, and eventually paranoia, gradually takes hold in a volatile setting where the enemy may be anybody, including themselves.
7. Zola (2020)
Director- Janicza Bravo
Taylour Paige is the titular stripper from Detroit, who is persuaded by her new friend Stefani to join her in Florida, where they can make a lot of money. But, as with every proposal, nothing is as straightforward as it appears. While Paige is the pivot around which the entire plot revolves, Keough is the film’s outstanding element, slipping into the character with such ease that it feels like she’s been preparing for it her entire career. She’s a figure who is so obsessed with social media that she serves as the ideal entry point into the digital age’s chaos.
