Land

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Who doesn't appreciate Robin Wright's career as an actress? Every time I see her name attached to a film, I can't help but feel excited about it. So, obviously, any movie with her would be one of my most anticipated films of Sundance. However, the main reason why I was highly expecting Land wasn't due to her acting credit, but because this is her feature directorial debut. Her performance didn't disappoint me, though, much on the contrary. Wright continues to prove her talent time and time again, delivering an incredibly captivating interpretation of a character who demonstrates that perseverance and the will to live can work as a healing method in the worst of times. An extraordinary character-study written by Jesse Chatham and Erin Dignam.

However, it's her role as the director that surprises me the most. Her vision is clearly depicted through sumptuous cinematography (Bobby Bukowski) and an original score (Ben Sollee, Time For Three) that becomes part of the narrative. In fact, I dare write that without its music, Land would lack that special element to elevate everything as a whole. Well, to be fair, the Rockies hold landscapes so jaw-dropping and awe-inspiring that I would sincerely enjoy just staring at this movie for its sceneries.

It's one of the best-looking films I've seen in the last few years, and that's a key component because story-wise, there isn't much action or impactful events going - except for the last couple of revelatory minutes - which might become tiresome for some viewers. It's a bit odd how usually, I don't see great replay value in this type of movies, but I genuinely want to revisit this one for its visuals and score. I can't end this review without praising Demián Bichir, who offers a performance as remarkable as Wright's. Absolutely phenomenal.

Land is an outstanding feature directorial debut from Robin Wright, who also delivers one of my favorite performances of hers. An incredibly inspirational film that relies on its unforgettable visuals and an extremely engaging score to present me with one of my favorite movies of this year's Sundance. Without the shadow of a doubt, it's one of the most gorgeously shot films I've seen in quite a long time. Every single scene is filled with an awe-inspiring landscape in the background that took me to the beautiful snowy mountains in such an emotional manner. Thank you, Bobby Bukowski, for your jaw-dropping cinematography, but it's Ben Sollee and Time For Three's score that elevate the overall picture in a way that without their music, the storytelling would suffer tremendously. Demián Bichir also deserves as much praise as Wright when it comes to their acting displays. Jesse Chatham and Erin Dignam's screenplay isn't groundbreaking, but Land breaks my personal tendency of feeling that this type of movie lacks replay value. I'll rewatch this sooner or later, and I recommend everyone to do the same.

Rating: A-

"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.

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.

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.