Land (2021)

joshuarenealvarez

Land is an independent-drama film directed
by Robin Wright in her feature directorial-debut.
The film had it's world premiere at the 2021 Sundance film festival. The storyline follows Edee Mathis (portrayed by
Robin Wright) who delivers one of the most memorable performances of her career, as a broken woman who retreats to the mountains in isolation. The reasoning as to why is shared during the first act through a series of flashbacks, giving context to her transition from urban life to the wilds of nature. The various camera shots by cinematographer Bobby Bukowski of the gorgeous yet vast emptiness of the valley made me correlate it with Edee's internal struggle. She faces tremendous amounts
of difficulties in her newfound lifestyle as she hadn't mentally and physically prepared herself for the harshness of the seasons. Initially, I found it difficult to sympathize with her character as the narrative surrounding this drama felt all too familiar and contrived. I pitied her for lack
of composure. Her own disregard for her life.
This eventually leads to a near-death experience,
bringing forth the introduction of Miguel who was an admirable character (due to the compelling acting
of Demián Bichir). He is a local hunter who takes
it upon himself to be the caretaker and companion
piece to Edee's flame. The film is heavily reliant on the emotional performances of these two actors in order to be successful, and it certainly did leave it's mark on me.
This is an aesthetically pleasing featurette about discovering one's purpose amidst the confusion that occurs in our lives. And if we allow ourselves to become vulnerable towards those who want to aid us.
It will not only help us become better people,
but in return, help those around us become better people too. Robin Wright's remarkable directing left me with a feeling of contentment that I've long since experienced from a film and I believe that is commendable in itself.

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score 7/10

joshuarenealvarez 23 February 2021

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw6627962/