Land

LAND is a touching study of a woman steeped in grief, determined to leave life behind in the midst of a devastating happening. Robin Wright effectively directs from an angle of isolation, both of place and of mind. It's a solid directorial debut and a raw, emotional performance. A lot of moments and scenarios feel familiar, and while that hinders the overall experience, LAND is so beautifully shot with such deeply heartfelt performances that it earns a lot of respect by the end. The film's biggest achievement is the its second half, and the subtle way it works through grief and pain in restrained, tender moments.

A woman in despair after a tragedy retreats to a cabin in the mountains to live alone.

Robin Wright directs her own performance, spending much time onscreen alone and silent as a woman struggling to survive both in relation to the wilderness and her own pain. Her performance always rings true emotionally, and the beats of her transformation are lucid. The landscape is beautifully filmed, the landscapes are vast, the winter is bitterly cold and the wilderness is living and breathing; though her interaction with it, her struggle to chop wood and hunt deer, the physical realities of her life, a very superficially depicted. The beauty and tangibility of the world is so real that I can't help but want to believe in her relationship with it. But the ultimate impact, of a woman struggling with significant emotional turmoil and despair, is real and her transformations and relationships are moving.

Some of the reviews of this movie complain of the slow pace and it is in fact slow. But as we get older we are not in such a rush to get to the end, don't need a breakneck pace to satisfy. We can often see ourselves in this sort of film and have some experience of loss. I very much enjoyed this.

This is a minimalistic film, but it offers a lot. First, the scenery and cinematography are both stunning. Second, details of the harsh life are portrayed very well. Then, the journey of healing is beautifully portrayed. The characters are sympathetic, and they make you care about them. I think this is a very good film.

I'm not entirely sure why this was so poorly received. I understand the bit of a cliche in the plot, finding yourself after a tragedy and rebuilding the world you live in to suit the lifestyle you need (See: Nomadland).

The reasons this movie worked are as follows.

The music was paired phenomenally with the visuals. The soundtrack was mostly beautifully orchestrated and delicate strings coupled with some ambient tracks that really worked with the mood of the introspective and developmental scenes.

The shots in this film are absolutely incredibly. Alberta was an amazing landscape to capture and being reminded of the beautiful, incredible and yet cruel land (hehe) that we often take for granted and certainly underestimate.

The plot fits neatly inside of 1 hr and 30 min, it does not get boring, and it completely encompasses the process of emotional healing through incredible visual story telling.

This movie is worth watching, and I recommend it to someone who is patient and wants something tender and mindfully directed to enjoy.