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What initially drew me to a film like "Land" was how its trailer teased a story about an individual having trouble interacting with others (or in society-at-large) and thus striking out on a journey of self-discovery. While nominally that is exactly what "Land" is, it takes such a paint-by-numbers and emotionally sparse approach to the relevant themes that I never felt much investment in the proceedings.
For a very basic overview, "Land" tells the story of Edee (Robin Wright), a woman fleeing the city for the wilderness after an apparent familial tragedy. After initially engaging in a woman-versus-nature struggle for survival, Edee eventually meets fellow outdoorsman Miguel (Demian Bichir), who might be the key to turning her little experiment around.
For me, the problem with "Land" was pretty clear from the get-go: it was so emotionally sparse as to be almost withholding. Instead of hitting the emotional beats hard, director Wright just lets them roll by almost in documentary style. Viewers see Edee mourn a tragedy, struggle against the elements, and begin the process of societal re-integration (with Miguel), but it never quite feels like any of those threads are big/meaningful enough to truly care about as they are portrayed up on the big screen.
Not helping matters is that whereas I expected a more psychological, inwardly focused tale, I found "Land" to be as much of a survivalist plot. While filled with great nature scenes and cinematography, that angle is one I've seen in film many times over. Instead of "Edee against the elements", I wanted "Edee against herself", and this film just doesn't play out in that format.
Overall, "Land" isn't a horrible movie but any stretch of the imagination. It is just incredibly simple and sparse, leaving the viewer to fill in the blanks of almost all the emotional moments. If the exact story/events happen to move you more than me, or if the outdoors-y photography really grips you, you'll certainly give it more stars. But I was hoping for more internal emotion and ultimately was left disappointed in that regard.
score 4/10
zkonedog 15 February 2021
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw6598276/ |
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4-3-2021 04:55:09