Land

Maybe it's a trend, maybe it's a passing phase, but simplistic stories about becoming one with the wild have been hard to ignore of late. From Chloe Zhao's 'Nomadland' to Robin Wright's 'Land,' following the stories of women who have tried to disappear into nature has made for intriguing subject matter.

In Wright's directorial debut we follow the journey of Edee, a middle-aged woman who escapes civilization as she copes with guilt that stems from a tragic personal loss. The film's low budget-ness helps give it an authentic feel, as the focus is on the Wyoming wilderness and the struggle Edee has not only with the elements, but with her inner demons. But it's not all doom and gloom - we get to witness a rebirth of sorts with her budding friendship with a local man (Demián Bichir), as well as a very important learning by film's end.

If 'Land' is an example of what Wright is capable of on both sides of the camera, we should expect much more to come.

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.

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.

For a drama like this there was some nice mystery and tension too. The landscape and cinematography was amazing. The simple yet effective cast was convincing. I got a bit teary eyed.

"Everybody wants to rule the world" Sung along in Land, from Tears for Fears.

Ethan Hawke brings in those lyrics as well in Tesla last year, making it an anthem for lonely souls seeking more control of their modern lives. Edee (Robin Wright, who also directs) encounters that song and sentiment during her self-exile in the Wyoming mountains in Land as she struggles with life and death in a failed attempt to control a narrative that includes the loss of her husband and son to a mass shooting.

A week ago, I witnessed two other women against the odds with The World to Come, where smart ladies weather a brutal winter in 19th century Upper NY State and inadequate husbands. Both filmmakers have captured the reality of survival in hostile but beautiful surroundings, where the environment is metaphor for the storms within.

Yet, like the hostile living, the women fight fate to control their lives, not without pain and suffering. Edee forsakes life only to find it stalking her in the form of a Good Samaritan, Miguel (Demien Bichir), who not only saves her life but gives her life through his generosity of heart for all living things.

Edee must learn to survive (she has forsaken phones and cars) by killing animals and accepting humans, both challenges for a self-determined exile. The story is minimalist, needing not more than cinematographer Bobby Bukowski's stunning landscapes and Trevor Smith's production design, which is at home in the city as well as an old mountain cabin with previous haunting lives.

Escape to stunning landscape? see Land, but don't think life can be left behind. Robin Wright's expert direction, for her first helming, never lets us forget that our humanity, and the need to connect with it, will never leave us.

Land is a fascinating existential journey that showing the melancholy unity between the living and the dead, as James Joyce so poetically pointed out long ago. The connection that brings life: Miguel explains to Edee when she asks why he is helping her: "You were in my path."

Be exhilarated by a story about exile that doesn't work. Land is beautiful, harrowing, and ultimately rewarding.