“Land” arrives at the M.V. Film Center on Friday, March 5. Despite its clumsy title, this film, starring and directed by Robin Wright, is a powerful and moving study of isolation. Set in the breathtakingly beautiful mountains of Wyoming, a stand-in for Alberta, Canada, where it was filmed, “Land” plays an important role in the life of central character, Edee, played by Wright.
The viewer meets Edee as she walks along urban streets, dropping her cellphone into the trash. It is the first sign of her rejection of others and her embrace of the wilderness. The viewer watches as she follows a pickup truck into a remote spot in the mountains on Shoshone land. She asks her guide, who is concerned at leaving her alone, to arrange for her van and trailer to be removed. A cabin will be her home, entirely alone.
“Why am I here?” Edee asks herself, and this question is followed by a haunting flashback of a man and boy fishing. She imagines people she cares about passing by, and in remembering them, she’s reduced to tears. It’s the first real mention of the loss she has suffered. In a trip to the outhouse, a bear shows up, and she waits inside for it to leave after ransacking the cabin. It’s an illustration of the risks in her isolation, along with the snowbound winter weather.
The viewer watches her daily routine, which suggests how little she knows about survival and the increasing dangers she faces. She has difficulty chopping wood, and she runs out of food. A blizzard brings a serious challenge. Soon she is lying dehydrated and unconscious until an Oglala hunter, Miguel, played by the Mexican American actor Demián Bichir, shows up with his sister, a nurse, Alawa, played by Sarah Dawn Pledge. The two of them manage to revive Edee, just barely. As Miguel helps her to recover, she makes it clear that she doesn’t want help or any mention of the outside world. “If I end up starving, then that’s on me,” she says. “If I don’t belong here, then I don’t belong anywhere.” She does take him up on his offer to teach her how to survive. Afterward, he promises, he will leave.
Scenes follow of her learning to use a rifle and killing a deer, then dressing it for its meat. Miguel shows her how to build traps for smaller animals and how to fish. Eventually he confesses his wife and daughter were killed in a car accident eight years earlier, and, eventually, that he was driving the car. Miguel asks her to take care of his dog while he’s gone. Edee takes out a box with photos in it, crying, and the viewer understands the extent of her loss. She hangs the photos on the cabin wall, suggesting, perhaps, the beginnings of a need for others.
(Spoiler alert: the next paragraph describes the conclusion of the film.)
Deciding Miguel had never been gone as long, she walks the miles into town and the hospital where Alawa works. Alawa tells Edee where to find Miguel, and it turns out he’s dying of cancer. She finally tells him that her husband and son were shot and killed. “You gave me all I want,” he tells her. “You gave me to die in a state of grace.” Edee responds, “You made me want to live again.”
In this way, the two are matched, and Edee calls her sister Emma, a marker of her rejoining society.
Information and tickets for “Land” are available at mvfilmsociety.com.
FAQs
Deciding Miguel had never been gone as long, she walks the miles into town and the hospital where Alawa works. Alawa tells Edee where to find Miguel, and it turns out he's dying of cancer. She finally tells him that her husband and son were shot and killed.
What happened to the husband and son in the movie Land? ›
Edee responds that her husband Adam and son Drew were killed in a random shooting in a concert hall. She thanks him for helping her heal and the life he gave back to her.
What is the plot of land with Robin Wright? ›
What was the point of the movie Land? ›
Parents need to know that Land is a quiet character study about grief, trauma, and isolation. Directed by and starring Robin Wright, it follows Edee (Wright), a melancholy lawyer who nearly dies while attempting to live off the grid.
Is Land of Bad based on a true story? ›
Although Land of Bad isn't based on a true story, it has the tone of self-consciously patriotic real-life thrillers like American Sniper or Lone Survivor, with the same level of simplistic hero worship.
Who was Emma in Land? ›
Kim Dickens: Emma
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Where is the film Land filmed? ›
Land is Robin Wright's feature directorial debut that was filmed in twenty-nine days. The film premiered at Sundance on January 31, 2021, and was released on February 12, 2021, in the United States. Land was shot in Alberta, Canada.
Do they find the boy in my son? ›
In a dramatic scene, Edmond then rescues Ethan as Joan arrives and the three of them drive away. Edmond is shot and ends up passing out at the wheel, but Inspector Roy arrives just in time and finds their car, taking the three of them to safety.
Is Land a true story? ›
Script is not based on a book or true life story. As opposed to the movie" Into the Wild", which I also found frustrating to watch the main character's stupidity as they go into rugged terrain totally unprepared.
Who is Robin Wright married to? ›
The couple called off their engagement in November 2014, but reunited in January 2015. In August 2015, they announced they were ending their second engagement. In 2017, Wright began dating Clément Giraudet, a Saint Laurent executive. They secretly wed in August 2018 in La Roche-sur-le-Buis, France.
She has little survival experience, but has enough to stay alive, even when faced with blizzards, a bear, little fresh food, and the endless effort to stay warm. There are occasional flashbacks to give us hints that she has experienced the tragedy of the loss of both her husband and child.
Is it worth watching the movie land? ›
Land Reviews
Wright and Bichir's compelling performances, as well as stunning cinematography by Bobby Bukowski, make Land a worthwhile journey from the numbness of loss to the joys of finding peace within.
Is Quincy, Wyoming a real place? ›
Didsbury, Alberta, Canada(location. The town stands in for the fictional town of Quincy, Wyoming, where the hospital is located.)
What kind of dog is in the movie Land? ›
Miguel has a German Shepherd named Potter as his constant companion, and Edee grows fond of the dog too, even though she told Miguel that she's more of a cat person. Eventually, Miguel opens up to Edee and tells her that he's a widower whose wife and daughter were killed in a car accident.
What is the movie called land on Netflix? ›
After a tragedy, a woman retreats to an isolated cabin but lacks the skills to survive. A hunter's arrival offers hope, if she can find a way to heal.
How does Chato's land end? ›
Jubal kills Whitmore when he objects, inciting the last two members of the posse, Malechie and Logan, to beat Jubal to death with rocks. The two ride home, but Chato kills Malechie and allows Logan to flee without supplies, alone and horseless, deeper into Apache territory as Chato watches impassively from his horse.
Where is the movie Land supposed to take place? ›
Didsbury, Alberta, Canada(location. The town stands in for the fictional town of Quincy, Wyoming, where the hospital is located.)
Where was Land of Bad filmed? ›
“What's not to love? Filming this movie in Queensland has been such a joy. Not only is it the people and the work ethic that everyone brings to set but the weather and the sunlight... it's just so beautiful and so immersive and also feels like home."
