LAND

by Le Anne Linday, Editor

Tinsel & Tine #MiniMovieReview LAND a directorial debut for actress Robin Wright (The Princess Bride, Forest Gump, House of Cards). If you wanna kill yourself there are far less torturous ways to go about it. Edee (Wright) is a woman suffering loss at a weighty magnitude, we find out why at the end of the movie, but at this point, she just can’t stand to be around people, not even her supportive sister.   She decides to abandon what’s left of her life, tell no one of her plans, and head to a very remote Mountain. It’s never clear exactly how far she’s strayed from home, but it seems like a long drive to get to the guy who she’s bought the cabin from. And then he tells her to follow him in her vehicle because she’d never find the cabin on her own, and that drive up the deserted mountain seems long! 

She already chucked her phone while still in the city and now she tells the cabin renter to have someone come get her car.  He protests that she should have a way to leave in case of an emergency or to buy freakin groceries, but she’s determined to be in total isolation.

The cabin is a drafty, dirty, unappealing mess. And you can just tell she doesn’t have enough layering on under her coat. If it were me, I’d have gone out of my mind the first night, listening to sounds in the woods and not being able to get warm or comfortable on that cot.

Immediately it goes from bad to worse. Edee may be a natural city dweller, but she’s no cream puff, and have you ever noticed Robin Wright has kinda mannish hands? Nevertheless, extreme wilderness living takes a really stout and hearty type to survive. At her darkest moment, thankfully, she’s discovered by a local, Miguel (Demián Bichir). After which, the tone of the movie lightens up a bit, along with the cabin. All the sudden it seems cozy and quaint. But you never see them doing any work on it, so I guess it’s supposed to be a trick of the mind, the comfort of the cabin changes with her perspective.

Wright was smart to work with a terrific cinematographer Bobby Bukowski for her first time out as a director because the landscape and atmosphere take up where the story is a bit lacking. They actually lived on the mountain while shooting.  And guess what? She hadn’t intended to direct herself. They hadn’t found the right actress to play Edee in time, so she agreed to play the part.

When asked what drew her to this story, Wright felt it was important to show human resiliency in the face of all the loss being experience in this moment. And also, how much we need each other even when you think you can go it alone.

T&T @LAMB rating: 3 outta 5