Sundance Film Festival movie review: 'Land'
Robin Wright's debut feature drama 'Land' (premiering at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival) is one part survivalist journey and one part grief-stricken dramatic mystery box.
In short: Overwhelmed with grief and unable to cope with life in the big city, bereaved Edee (Robin Wright) abandons her life and chooses to live off-the-grid in the remote Rocky Mountains. Demián Bichir & Kim Dickens also star.
Wright's feature-length directorial debut immediately makes clear that Edee does not belong in her remote cabin, alone in the woods. She is utterly unequipped for the harsh wilderness - yet she persists with what appears to be a foolhardy or even suicidal attempt to live completely on her own, in some of the most unforgiving land in the world. And it's from this point that the film begs the question: why? Why would a middle-aged woman set off on her own, seemingly on a one-way journey into the Wyoming forest?
'Land' draws out the mystery behind Edee's choice to live in isolation for ... quite a while. Don't expect to get any easy or quick answers about Edee's life or past. Knowing this frees the audience from looking for answers amid the few hints about Edee's past - and just lets the audience to fully take in her journey, without the distraction of trying to crack the mystery of what happen to her that would compel her to leave everything behind. And, to be fair, Edee states upfront that she is not looking to share her anguish with anyone - which includes the audience.
Understanding what compels Edee to live in self-imposed isolation in the wild would allow the audience to connect with Edee. Yes this is essentially a woman versus nature on its surface, but the more intriguing undercurrent of 'Land' is Edee's conflict with herself. Usually withholding the 'why' would be an alienating obstruction that puts distance between Edee and the audience - but in Wright's deft direction, her film maintains its grip on the audience by putting Edee through a harrowing survival ordeal. Whatever happened to Edee had to be so terrible that, given multiple chances to opt out, her resolve remained ironclad.
Final verdict: 'Land' is a riveting and soul journey for healing, with director-star Wright's steady directorial hand and strong performance keeping the film anchored in Edee's emotional recovery.
Score: 4/5
'Land' screens at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. This drama is rated PG-13 for thematic content, brief strong language, and partial nudity and has a running time of 89 minutes.
Directed by Robin Wright / Screenplay by Jesse Chatham & Erin Dignam / Score by Ben Sollee & Time for Three / Cinematography by Bobby Bukowski / Film Editing by Anne McCabe & Mikkel E.G. Nielsen / Production Design by Trevor Smith / Starring Robin Wright, Demián Bichir & Kim Dickens.
