Released: February 2021
Director: Robin Wright
Rated PG-13
Run Time: 88 Minutes
Genre: Drama
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Cast:
Robin Wright: Edee
Demian Bichir: Miguel
Sarah Dawn Pledge: Alawa
Kim Dickens: Emma
Warren Christie: Adam
Finlay Wojtak-Hissong
Directorial debuts are a bit of a double-edged sword within the film industry. Either the film-maker bites off more than they can chew because they have an ego, or they ended up with something that isn’t even close to half-baked because they are completely inexperienced in any form of film-making. Just because somebody is a fan of film-making does not mean they have the instincts or the vision necessary to carry a film through to completion. Not everybody can be a Quentin Tarantino or a Ben Affleck. While it’s hard for any director to get a movie made, it’s even more so when an actor steps behind the camera. If they plan on acting on the movie they’re directing, the difficulty skyrockets. Not every actor can do it. Ben Affleck is one that can while Kevin Costner is another. Their directorial debuts were beyond outstanding. Costner’s Dances With Wolves was brilliant. For Land, The Princess Bride star Robin Wright sits in the director’s chair and the result is truly something special.
Land tells the story of Edee, a woman who has suffered an unthinkable tragedy, as she heads up into the Rockies to isolate herself from the rest of civilization. Reaching an abandoned cabin in the woods, Edee tries to survive on her own despite not having any real wilderness survival skills. She eventually befriends a local hunter, Miguel, as he helps her to survive. After spending time with Miguel, Edee begins to learn to live again. Land’s story is a very simple story about a woman’s struggle with PTSD and how grief has pushed her away from people. Grief has a way of doing that for a lot of people. It’s a movie about connections, both the ones that we lose and the ones that we forge. I wouldn’t say that Land is the most original story of its kind, but the way it’s brought to life is outstanding. It’s compelling and emotional. There are no last-minute jaw-dropping twists. It isn’t that kind of movie. It’s a story that has a purpose and it’s told rather efficiently over the course of 88 minutes. You don’t need a two-hour film to get the point across. It’s paced incredibly well.
When we first meet Edee, we know something bad had happened as she throws her phone away and has people take her car and trailer away over the next few days. She’s isolated herself in the wilderness to try and find some sort of peace away from people. While we don’t know exactly what happened until the end of the film, it has a real impact on how she deals with her grief. Like so many of us, Edee deals with her grief in her own way and sometimes it gets her into trouble. It’s when she meets Miguel that she begins to come back to life. Miguel is also dealing with his own tragedies, so there is a common connection between the two. I’ve been a fan of Robin Wright since she made her acting debut in The Princess Bride. She’s outstanding here. As the character deals with her situation, Wright’s lends more authenticity to what’s going on. Demian Bichir is equally fantastic as Miguel. As he teaches Edee to hunt and survive, they form a connection that is healing for both. The chemistry between the two is fantastic and it feels natural. While there are other actors in the film, obviously, these two are the heart and soul of this picture.
Land has some of the most beautiful imagery I’ve seen in recent years. The movie was filmed on location in the Canadian Rockies in Alberta, Canada. It’s incredibly beautiful up there. But the cinematography has another purpose. It’s there to showcase the isolation that Edee deliberately put herself in, and it allows the character to get inside her own head without distractions from everyday civilization. Dealing with grief can push people away, but sometimes that’s a good thing. Sometimes, we need that isolation and that time to ourselves to try and make sense of everything that’s happened. But we can’t always stay away from other people. It’s that human connection that we need to deal with grief and allow us to move forward. For some, it’s harder than others. While I would say what Edee did is pretty extreme, it’s not unusual for grieving people to shut everyone out, and it’s hard to reconnect after dealing with such hardship. That’s what I really love about Robin Wright’s direction here. It shows a natural progression from being isolated to finally opening up to another human being. As hard as some of us try, humans really can’t handle being apart from one another for too long. It’s painful and it’s really hard to let go sometimes, and Robin Wright really captures that aspect of humanity in this film.
At it’s core, Land is a very human story about dealing with grief and PTSD. As I mentioned earlier, it’s not original in that aspect, but I really like how Robin Wright approached the story and the characters. These are fully three-dimensional characters that share similar forms of pain and Wright’s performance is heartbreaking and powerful. If you’ve been through any kind of grief or tragedy, there’s something here for you to grab onto and connect with. For an actress to have such a powerful directorial debut is unusual. Yet, I think Land is going to be one of the best films of the year. It’s going to be going into one of my top lists, that’s for sure. Robin Wright is an outstanding actress, but her first movie as a director is going to be one that she should be proud of for years to come. I absolutely recommend this one.
My Final Recommendation: 9/10.