Sundance 2021 Review: Land

Accomplished actor Robin Wright steps behind the camera for her directorial debut in Land, a visually stunning tale about a woman who isolates herself from society to live off the grid after suffering a horrific tragedy.

Edee (played by Wright) has undergone such a loss that she cannot bear to be around others.  She has become unable to relate to people despite attempts at therapy and the support of her sister Emma (Kim Dickens).  So, she ditches the city, throws away her cell phone, and hightails it to a very remote cabin in the Wyoming Rockies. 

Armed with a bunch of non-perishable food, and some “how-to-survive-in the wild” manuals, Edee settles into her new life. It is immediately obvious how little experience she truly has with the great outdoors.  While her determination to make her new situation work is admirable, living alone in the middle of nowhere with no means of transportation, communication, electricity, or indoor plumbing begins to seem like Edee wants not to just isolate herself from the world, but may have a death wish.

Edee has visions of a man and young boy who we can safely assume are her dead son and husband. Wright does a wonderful job of portraying Edee’s grief and survivor’s guilt through close ups of her beautifully pained face.  There is very little dialogue in the film, especially in the opening sequence of Edee settling in.  Luckily, Wright is a strong enough actress (and director) to pull off what could have been a too-slow narrative.  After all, there is only so much to do with a story about one person in the middle of nowhere.  Instead, watching her try to establish her new routine (and often failing), is both interesting and heartbreaking.

Inevitably, Edee was not prepared for her first harsh winter in the mountains.  After disaster strikes, she cries “This isn’t working!” and curls up onto the floor of the cabin, resigned to freeze and/or starve to death. Fortunately, local hunter Miguel (Demian Bichir) happens upon her in the nick of time.  He and his wife Alawa (Sarah Dawn Pledge), who is conveniently a registered nurse, slowly bring her back to health. 

Miguel, like Edee, is introspective and haunted.  As he starts to regularly check in on Edee, the two form an earnest bond.  Edee explains to him that she came out there because she could not handle being around people. Miguel tells her that he will teach her the skills she needs to survive in the wilderness, then Edee will never see him again.  She agrees, with the condition that he shares no news of the outside world.

The warm chemistry between the two was the highlight of the film for me.  The script did not always hit the mark, but the performances of the two leads are so strong it did not matter.  In fact, a lot of their relationship revolves around what remains unsaid.  Humans are not naturally isolated creatures.  Watching Edee slowly ease into the friendship and realize that perhaps human connection is exactly what she needed was fantastic. Bicher’s Miguel is a man of few words, but he nails every moment of screen time. An ongoing joke between the two about a classic song from the 80’s adds some appreciated humor to the film.

While I loved watching Edee’s arc, and the kinship between her and Miguel, I was a bit disappointed in the film’s finale.  The final reveal of the exact nature of our two leads’ trauma feels rushed and a tad emotionally manipulative.  Regardless, Land’s strengths certainly outweigh its weaknesses. Speaking of strengths, I must bring up Bobby Bukowski’s stunning cinematography.  The sweeping takes of Wyoming’s majestic landscapes throughout all seasons are simply gorgeous, but also highlight how very isolated and in danger Edee truly was. The film is worth watching for the beautiful shots of the Rockies alone.

Despite its frequently done premise, Land is certainly worth watching. Wright is strong not only as a first-time director, but as the film’s lead performer. She is well-matched by Demian Bincher’s understated performance as Miguel. The two leads along with the gorgeous cinematography outshine any minor gripes I had with the film.