User reviews

This movie had a great premise and could have been great. It started out ok, but just got worse and worse. A lot of things in the story line didn'make sense (example: she was incredibly smitten with her husband, which the viewer doesn't understand because he's portrayed as a jerk). The scene with the piano just drove me crazy! It was SOO obvious the director was trying to be artsy. It reminded me of a Counting Crows video (puke!). Another miss: the horribly cliche Native American boy (including his Kmart bought costume). At times the main actress was good, other times she was horrible. All the other actors were even worse. The final editing was not well done. Cut-to's that were disjointed and didn't line up, or shots that needed another 20 seconds to establish the context or emotion. If this was made by some college kids, then I'd say bravo. In that aspect this movie would be impressive. But I suspect it had a little more experience and budget behind it. It almost seemed as if it was rushed out of production. If more time had been spent on the details and editing, it would have been a MUCH better movie. I will give credit to the writer though, as the story was very solid. Some people can see past all these errors, but people that expect a movie to leave an impression on them will find it too irritating.

After a tragedy, a young woman (Jasmin Jandreau) is left alone in the remote woods during the mid-1800's California Gold Rush. Can she survive and make it to civilization?

"The Trail" (2013), aka "Let God," is obviously a low-budget Western in light of the miniscule cast and limited setting & events, plus a couple of obvious anachronisms, like zippers on a pair of boots, which weren't even invented until 1893, not to mention goofs (a visible crew member and boom mic, both of which you have to actually look for to notice). Despite these shortcomings, this is a professionally made film with quality locations, an effective score and a decent lead actress. It successfully brings you to that time & place and lets you see what it was like for many settlers.

If you like settler/survival-oriented Westerns like "Meek's Cutoff" (2010), "Gold" (2013), "The Homesman" (2014) and "The Revenant" (2015), you'll likely appreciate "The Trail," although it's not as polished or eventful as the latter, which was a blockbuster. Unlike all of those modern Westerns, however, it shoots for something deeper, something spiritually profound, although it's utterly subdued until the very end. It's this particular aspect that makes the movie for me.

The film runs 1 hour, 31 minutes, and was shot in the Lake Tahoe area, California, with some stuff done in Southern Cal (Temecula & Landers).

GRADE: B-

I mean come on! Weeks wandering through the wilderness and her dress wasn't even the slightest bit dirty. I'll give it one star because 1. I like nature 2. She has nice teeth

I've read all the reviews pointing to the obvious problems with zippers, sweating, costumes, etc.... and I noticed that too but I think it is short-sighted not to point out the things that worked in this movie. This was the director's first film on a very, very small budget and I think he accomplished some very effective scenes. The attack scene was pure genius because it creates terror with no extra expense using a bunch of actors, etc.. The viewer experiences it completely from the woman's point of view. The lead actress is excellent and well directed! I also thought the camera movement around the woman in the woods was excellent and created genuine suspense. Making films is extremely difficult and to just pick away at all the details of sweating, zippers and undergarments, and the fact she never wears a coat is all legit but stops short of the redeeming qualities of this film. In the Coen brothers' re-make of "True Grit" the girl is completely dry after riding her horse across a river! And that's the very well-financed, acclaimed Coen brothers! This film maker has genuine potential and should be encouraged to make more films.

For those who are faithful Christians who think the Holy Bible and God are the very sublime element in life, it must be a very satisfactory, convincing film, but for others, it lacks the power to convince that God's superpower was there for her. Her "God is everywhere!" must be the center piece of this movie, but frankly, it lacked the logic and it looked so weak & tacky to the audience. Beyond the all unrealistic elements, I think it lacks the strong message. It looks like one of self-pleasing Christian movies, and I did not find anything extraordinary or powerful. Nice try, though.

A beautiful movie about faith and survival. What might seem like inaccuracies to some, were irrelevant? It's silly to point them out. The movie teaches a lesson. It would be a shame if you missed the point. The acting was first first rate.

This is a small independent film and considering the small budget, it is excellent. The main theme of the film is thought provoking-Does God exist and does He care? The main character of the movie, a young married woman is coerced, by her patriarchal husband and the social dictates of the day, to set out on the Oregon Trail and find their piece of the Garden of Eden. Her husband is a controlling buffoon, insisting that they secretly leave (she is instructed that she not tell her family-maybe so that they will not intervene?) and eventually she acquiesces, as she is a Godly young woman. Her headstrong husband eventually leaves the protection of the wagon train and heads out on his own which ultimately leads to his demise, leaving his ill-equipped wife alone in the wilderness. Yes, there were zippers and materials that didn't exist at the time, but anytime one watches a movie, there are moments when a viewer suspends disbelief. Multiple books about actual crossings of the Oregon Trail recount how as the wagon-hauling oxen, cows and horses died; settlers began throwing out all but absolute essentials. Thus, finding an abandoned upright piano alongside the trail was not unheard of. Before leaving the wagon, Jasmin Jandreau looks through her clothing, pulling out her wedding gown and a pair of lace up ladies boots. The boots are falling apart so she puts them and the gown back in the wagon, deciding to wear what looks to be her wedding shoes. Eventually, she finds a dead man on the trail and takes off his boots so that she can have more appropriate footwear. This film is fairly realistic and also faith affirming.

Like many others reviewing this movie have written, it just seemed so poorly researched. All I could think about throughout the film is how hasn't she frozen? Why didn't she take the quilt she buried with her husband. Why take the boots but not the socks. It was a good story and the main actress did a fine job but I was hoping for something so much better than this.

If you're going to make a list of every historical inaccuracy every time you watch a film, be prepared for some serious hand pain. Relax and enjoy the story.

I thought this was a refreshing take on the westward migration and the difficulties that accompanied. The lead actress does a wonderful job, and it's nice to see a strong female character face real adversity. This story isn't told through CGI or through the jaw-dropping special effects to which we've all become so accustomed. It asks the viewer to focus, become drawn in, and join her on her journey through physical trials, and questioning beliefs.

I will not go on to spoil any plot points, but we thought this was a wonderful family movie with genuine emotion and a nice message. I highly recommend this movie.

This movie has taken a lot of heat for historical inaccuracies and unrealistic circumstances (among other things). Still, it offers a good moral theme and does tell a compelling story without ruining the aforementioned with some sort of predictable, clichéd ending. It's worth a watch if you're the more patient type of viewer who enjoys an intellectual movie experience. Sit back and employ your "film reading" skills with this one. There's lots of symbolism. Though it does fall short on the type of action sequences that less sophisticated, mainstream audiences require these days, it does not disappoint with tension.

Sad that the talented actress in the lead role was wasted in this slow moving, pathetic crock. The only bright spots were laughing at the silly set decorations which were often inappropriate and unauthentic to the time period. No Set Decorator is listed. No Art Director is listed. Only a Production Designer who should hang her head in shame, leave the movie industry and open a junk shop in Omaha.

And through it all Jasmin Jandreau shines with an authentic simplicity that shows real acting potential. Her understated performance is exactly what's needed in a period film, and seldom found in one. I hope we see more work from this talented new comer in the future.

The idea for the plot of this movie sounded interesting. The film was not.

Only an idiot would think this was a good movie. Not to give away in of the story, but every person knows that the three things that will kill you quickly are water, weather, and food. First, she is wearing a thin, almost sheer dress that in the sunlight you can see her body beneath. Now that's important, because in the mountains in the freezing temperature with the non-melting snow on the ground, she is never freezing. Second issue, she has first goes ten days with only 1.5 spoonfuls of soup and a 3" fish. Of course, she is still able to traverse the mountains carrying a heavy wooden box filled with her kitchen items in the snow, but she never gets hungry or weak. Third through 100th item....well, would give too much of the story away.

I would say that overall the writer/director must not have ever been around snow or had any clue how you react after 24 hours without enough food. This would have been better in cartoon style since it is not a survival movie.

It helps to like the old west and survival. The acting was ok, but it's more about the story. And our faith in God above. I teared up more than once and the end was powerful. God is always with us. And if you ever doubt that, then watch Him work!

Now, I can understand that this movie was not supposed to be a documentary, but it is so laughably inaccurate as a history piece that it keeps taking a viewer outside of what could be a good story. I'm just at the part where the sun, shining from overhead, somehow starts a Bible on fire by shining sideways through the lenses of the pioneer woman's plastic lens bifocals. That's a good thing, because this woefully unprepared pioneer woman does not have any survival skills at all, despite being on the Mormon Trail for 230 days now, according to her tally. Even worse, she has been recently left a widow, as marauding unseen Indians apparently beat her husband to death with pillows (he has no marks or blood on his body) before they were apparently called off to another pillow attack, forgetting to check the wagon for supplies, or a woman to kidnap. So she is left to survive on the trail alone, which would be horrifying, if not for the complete implausibility of her even surviving this long. So you figure she will be all right, since even the raccoons in this movie make enough noise in the woods to be easily located, and the magic eyeglasses will probably zap them, gut them and cook them for her.

My point is, if you have a story to tell, do the homework necessary to keep the viewer in the story, not laughing at how ridiculous that last scene was. Yes, research is work, but good writing is work. I'm not asking for the moon here, just . . . She wears dance slippers, for Heaven's sake! Why would she be wearing dance slippers?

Since everyone has already pointed out the historical inaccuracies and basic film making flaws, I will review the fim as I saw it.

Credit needs to be given to Jet Jandreau for carrying the movie without any supporting actors and through close ups that would be hard for any seasons actor. Obviously she endured filming in rain and snow also at night and walking in slippers carrying a wooden fence suitcase. So things like tenderfoot camping skills for someone from that era much less after over half a year on the Oregon Trail is minimal to the impact of the fim.

The good things outweigh the bad by far, especially considering the budget. The music score is very nice albeit somewhat Hallmark at times. The scenery is fantastic and the faith she has throughout is compelling and refreshing.

Being lost in the woods is no fun. Being lost in the woods in the winter with just the clothes on your back is pure torture.

Today, we're surrounded by survival experts and survivor-themed shows just about every night of the week and none of them truly capture what it would be like to be alone in the woods with no discernible hope for rescue.

"The Trail" is the story of a seriously dire circumstance where the odds of survival for one woman are worse than the Raiders winning the Super Bowl this season. It is somewhat organic as a low-budget film but makes up for it with high-quality acting from its lone star.

It's a rare thing in Hollywood to have a movie where you essentially have one actor or actress carry the entire feature. You'll notice right away that nary a word is spoken in "The Trail" in the first 20 minutes and that's where it grabs your attention.

Jasmin Jandreau does an outstanding job as Amelia, a widow who has just lost her husband as they travel the always brutal Oregon Trail.

"The Trail" is an interesting look at a terrible individual struggle and an excellent showcase for Jandreau, who clearly has a bright future.

This is the dullest movie I've ever seen. I kept waiting for some action, some plot, something to keep my interest. What a complete waste of time. The 5 minutes with the stupid music thinking someone was out in the woods and...thennnn.. it was a raccoon???? Really? Worst movie I've ever seen... The fact that this woman can't even light a fire, can't feed herself.,How in heaven's name was she supposed to move out west. You know they had to at least know that in those times unless you were wealthy with servants. So unrealistic. They keep wanting me to write more... I don't have anything else to say about this movie. I want to save anyone from wasting their time on this. Can this be enough text..?

Young housewife in the mid-1800's heads west with her husband who decides to leave the safety of their wagon train to strike out cross country alone. Wow is THAT dumb. Even dumber, he gets himself killed. He wasn't the only dummy - the Indians who killed him don't bother to look for any valuables in the wagon (where the wife is hiding under a blanket) - This story so out of touch with the times. Then the young wife is completely lost doing the simplest things that anyone in the nineteenth century would have had no trouble with - like using a flint and steel to start a cooking fire. I couldn't watch any more of this nonsense and deleted it from my Kindle.