Movie Breakdown: Land

Pre-Screening Stance:

Land is Robin Wright’s directorial debut, and that’s reason enough to give it a whirl.

Post-Screening Ramble:

If you saw Wild, then you’ve practically seen Land. That film (from 2014) featured Reese Witherspoon as a woman in need of a fresh start, so she decides to walk the Pacific Crest Trail, despite having no hiking experience at all. Land stars Robin Wright as Edee, a woman in need of a fresh start, so she moves deep into the wilderness, despite having no idea how to survive on her own. Where the films part ways though is that Edee is only slightly interested in starting over. The sudden and tragic loss of her husband and son has sent her into a deep existential crisis and she’s unable to understand why she’s still alive and they aren’t, so her separation from society is not to actually bring herself back, it’s to give herself the best chance to fade away without any interference. And she almost does it! However, a distant neighbor, Miguel (Demian Bichir), saves her just before she passes away, and then she begrudgingly agrees to let him teach her how to make it out in the middle of nowhere all on her lonesome.

Admittedly, I kept expecting Land to get sort of preachy at some point. I just knew that Edee or Miguel would give some big, emotional speech about rediscovering how to live and/or the true meaning of life, but thankfully that never happens. Land, with its 90 minute runtime, is a swift affair, one that feels like a brief but earnest recounting of someone’s story. So, some details are there, some aren’t, and what’s there to take from it is up to you. For some, I imagine this won’t be enough, as it may register as too abbreviated, but others will appreciate that it’s the kind of film that doesn’t feel the need to hammer away its grand message.

Robin Wright is great in front of and behind the camera in Land. Check it out when it lands in theaters this Friday or on VOD later this year.

One Last Thought:

I’m always happy whenever Demian Bichir shows up in something. He’s got loads of gravitas.