Meek's Cutoff
Meek's Cutoff, from acclaimed director Kelly Reichardt (Wendy and Lucy, Old Joy), is a stark and poetic drama set in 1845, the earliest days of the treacherous Oregon Trail. A wagon train of three families (including two-time Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams) has hired mountain man Stephen Meek to guide them over the Cascade Mountains. Claiming to know a shortcut, Meek leads the group to an unmarked path across the high plain desert, only to become lost in the dry rock and sage. Over the coming days, the emigrants must face the scourges of hunger, thirst, and their own lack of faith in each other's instincts for survival. When a Native American wanderer crosses their path, the emigrants are torn between their trust in a guide who has proven himself unreliable and a man who has always been seen as their natural enemy.
Member Reviews
Very Slow Paced - newdaysof
Meek's Cutoff is an accurate portrayal of the hardships and suffering endured by the pioneers on the Oregan Trail in the 1840's. The language, the dialogue, the mannerisms, the wardrobe, and the mindsets are all exactingly replicated.
Problem is, most of the film is extremely slow paced and tedious with little character or plot development. The camerawork and cinematography is very good and the scenery breathtaking. The audio quality is mostly poor with much of the dialogue almost inaudible and unintelligable unless you crank the volume to the max. Then the next scene the audio is very loud and you have to scramble to turn down the volume. The ending is a big disappointment. Nothing really happens, nothing gets resolved. It's like they ran out of funds and the director said "Well, let's just end it with him walking away".
Why can't some Canadian film-maker tell the story of the NorthWest Mounted Police and their long, arduous trek across Ontario and the Prairies to setup the first Canadian forts in Saskatchewan and Alberta (then called the Northwest Territories)? They endured much more drama and had a greater purpose. They encountered Sitting Bull, the Sioux, and the Blackfeet nation and set the framework for civilization in Western Canada and the RCMP. The forts they established (Fort Calgary, Fort Edmonton, Fort Macleod, etc) went on to become major towns and cities. Or how about the cross-continent trek by Alexander Mackenzie, the first man to cross North America, who travelled by canoe and on foot and endured many, many incredible adventures? Where is the movie about his quest? Why do we always get the bottom-of-the-barrel plots about the American West before we hear anything at all about more dramatic stories of the Canadian West?a pleasant surprise - sooz
i doubt i would have watched this - i'm not a huge fan of the western genre - but for a friend's recommendation and his comment that it was by the same director as Wendy and Lucy.
Meek's Cutoff is a big, open, sparse movie that perfectly captures what the characters are undergoing as they trek across the empty, harsh yet beautiful mid-west landscape.
there is little soundtrack but what there is, is very effective. at times we accompany the characters with only the sound of a squeaking wagon wheel. even dialogue is sparse throughout a lot of this movie.
i don't know a lot of people that will like this movie - for many it's slow pace will be too demanding - but for those who love atmosphere and enjoy seeing something outside the usual hollywood fodder, for those with patience and the eyes to see what the camera has captured, Meek's Cutoff will be a thing of beauty.Existential desert Angst for fans of Kelly Reichardt and Herzog - Scopitone
Most people probably won't like this film. Personally, I love Kelly Reichardt's movies - my favourite being Wendy and Lucy. This isn't my favourite of her films although I do appreciate what she is trying to do.
In keeping with the director's style, these are very slow, atmospheric films with little to no dialogue. I think the feeling of dread is supposed to wash over you - the heat, lack of water, lack of direction. In a way it reminds me of Herzog's Aguirre film. The white Christian explorers who are thrown into the "savage" natural world and have to confront their own ignorance. The best part is Michelle Williams' character taking on Meek. It was the only flicker of aggression and action in a contemplative film.
Member Reviews
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Very Slow Paced - newdaysof
Meek's Cutoff is an accurate portrayal of the hardships and suffering endured by the pioneers on the Oregan Trail in the 1840's. The language, the dialogue, the mannerisms, the wardrobe, and the mindsets are all exactingly replicated.
Problem is, most ...a pleasant surprise - sooz
i doubt i would have watched this - i'm not a huge fan of the western genre - but for a friend's recommendation and his comment that it was by the same director as Wendy and Lucy.
Meek's Cutoff is a big, open, sparse movie that perfectly captures what ...Existential desert Angst for fans of Kelly Reichardt and Herzog - Scopitone
Most people probably won't like this film. Personally, I love Kelly Reichardt's movies - my favourite being Wendy and Lucy. This isn't my favourite of her films although I do appreciate what she is trying to do.
In keeping with the director's style, ...