Land is a drama film directed by Robin Wright and stars Robin Wright and Demián Bichir in main roles. It was released on 5th March 2021 on Video On Demand.
Edee Mathis (Robin Wright) moves into a cabin out in the wild, far from civilization. She leaves her sister Emma (Kim Dickens) and her therapist to live an isolated life out in the middle of nowhere. She tells the guide, who took her to the cabin, to come and take the rental car whenever possible but he warns her that it is not a good idea. But Edee doesn't care. She has got rid of her phone already and she has enough food supplies. But...one day a black bear wrecks everything up in the cabin, destroying food and supplies and...winter is coming. She has to prepare herself as the weather is going to be harsh...but the question is why Edee is out there alone? What is she running from? Why is she doing this to herself?
Written by Jesse Chatham and Erin Dignam, Land is a beautiful and heart-shattering film about coping with the feeling of losing someone close. The feeling of depression and pain comes along with that. The film is only 88 minutes long but the writers take more than 30 minutes to develop its lead character, Edde. She has had a tragic loss and is suicidal. She doesn't like to be around people as they make her feel lonely. And then she decides to live in a cabin out in the lap of nature. She disconnects herself from the world but as expected, she is not used to living in these extreme conditions.
With limited supplies, she tries hunting but couldn't, she tried to cut woods but fails. Why is she doing this to herself? We keep questioning this to ourselves as it is heartbreaking to see. A bear damages everything and that's where she starts to scream 'this isn't working'. One day she collapses, it was a stormy day, and thankfully a nurse Alawa (Sarah Dawn Pledge) and Miguel (Demián Bichir) saves her from dying. And then Miguel starts to take care of Edee, providing her food, take her fishing, and hunting and preparing her if she wants to live here.
Edee and Miguel's bond grows stronger. Miguel shares his pain about losing his family in a car accident whereas Edee doesn't shares, she doesn't want to. She panics, one time when Edee thought Miguel might have googled her. But Edee keeps getting flashes about a man and a boy, might be her husband and son, showcasing they both have lost someone close. And maybe that's why they find peace among themselves. At its core, Land tries to shape the feeling of grief and the pain of losing loved ones. And it did it beautifully as everything appears so natural and pure. Tacking such emotions is not easy as it can become monotonous and boring and a headache. But Land is a good film, which successfully at some levels deals with such emotions maturely, showing many scenes with no dialogues are also hard-hitting to see and overall it is emotional and poignant film.
Robin Wright is a delight to see. Not in a single scene, she never goes over the top which could have been the case here. She is so natural and subtle bringing authenticity and believability to her role and she makes Edee easy to feel and root for. Demián Bichir is wonderful as Miguel, his presence brings positivity and hope in Edee's life as well as in the film. Their scenes together in the film are heartwarming. Other actors also gave their best.
The cinematography by Bobby Bukowski is beautiful. The film is shot in Alberta, Canada, and in the lap of nature and the film looks absolutely stunning and breathtaking in every frame. The production design by Trevor Smith is very apt and the music by Ben Sollee and Time for Three is touching and goes well with the film. The editing by Anne McCabe and Mikkel E.G. Nielsen felt a little loose as it is very slow-paced.
Overall, Land directed by debutant Robin Wright is a beautifully made film about death, grief, and sorrow. Though I think that the writers could have dived more into the characters, yes they did a commendable job though, but showing the complexness more could have been amazing. The climax feels hurried but was also comforting to see Edee finally moving out of that cabin and meeting the man who saved her life. Land is mesmerizing and riveting with winning performances. Don't miss it.
Rating:- 3/5
Now available via Video on Demand.
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