Survivalist Western Meek’s Cutoff (2010) is loosely based on the real-life story of a treacherous journey along the Oregon Trail. Bruce Greenwood stars as Stephen Meek, a guide in charge of leading a group of pioneers through the barren landscape to settle in a distant valley. It quickly becomes clear that Meek has led them astray. Driven by a combination of thirst and desperation, one of the women, Emily Tetherow (Michelle Williams), discovers her agency as she guides the group to follow a lone native (Rod Rondeaux) in their search for water. Meek’s Cutoff has all the trademarks of director Kelly Reichardt’s filmmaking style. This brilliant example of slow cinema is quiet, atmospheric and minimalist. Reichardt is drawn to stories that include feminist themes, avoid clean cut endings, focus on characters who find themselves in hostile environments and are often set in the Pacific Northwest. The film was shot on location in Oregon and to prepare for their roles the cast spent a week in pioneer camp. Reichardt was inspired to make Meek’s Cutoff as a subversive political statement about the Iraq War. In an interview she said, “here was the story of this braggart leading a bunch of people into the desert without a plan and becoming completely reliant on the locals who are socially different from him and who he is suspicious of. All of which seemed relevant to the moment.” The screenplay was written by Jon Raymond, a frequent collaborator of Reichardt’s. Raymond and Reichardt developed a strong creative relationship with Reichardt saying “I think that having the foundation of good writing made the filmmaking so much stronger.” This is also the second of four films Reichardt made with actress Michelle Williams. Meek’s Cutoff had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in 2010 followed by a successful run on the festival circuit, which included screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival and Sundance. New York Times critic A.O. Scott called the film “a bracingly original foray into territory that remains, in every sense, unsettled,” and Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian called it a “gaunt, mysterious and superbly calibrated movie.”
by Raquel Stecher
