Luke McWilliams gives his review of the 2021 drama, Land, starring Robin Wright and Kim Dickens.
Edee (Robin Wright) has experienced the loss of her husband and young son and breaks down in front of her sister (Kim Dickens), who makes Edee promise not to harm herself. Soon, Edee retreats to an isolated cabin deep within the beautiful but isolated Wyoming wilderness to be by herself.
From the get-go, Edee is distraught by the tragedy she has experienced. Wishing for nothing more than to distance herself from her life, connections, and anything reminding her of her loss, she isolates herself. While her reckless and amateurish attempts at surviving in the remote wilderness bring avoidable pain and suffering, Edee learns from the ground up the importance of connections and relationships.
Leading her directorial debut, Wright is sympathetic and empathetic. The want of retreat and isolation after a hardship is explored literally and exhaustively in a Spartan cabin in the Wyoming wilderness; a place to exorcise her prior life and to restart by repairing a hut and eating only canned goods. In her attempts to push her former life far away, Edee is inevitably confronted by her unavoidable pain and memories. A minimalist and grassroots friendship with neighbour (Demián Bichir) slowly brings Edee around to learning the necessity of relationships to live a full life.
Verdict: With the beautiful vistas, credit-font and soundtrack evoking rural Americana, Land is a strong directorial debut from Wright showcasing the importance of community. 3 stars.
Land is screening at Dendy.
- Luke McWilliams | themovieclub.net
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