Land

In recent years there has been a raft of films about people living off-grid, from Debra Granik’s Leave No Trace to Matt Ross’ Captain Fantastic. But what’s behind this trend?

Is it simply a desire to get back to nature? It certainly seems as though more and more of us are craving authentic, real-world experiences in these increasingly digitised times – a feeling no doubt calcified by the Covid pandemic. In the case of Land, though, it’s a little more complicated than that.

Like those aforementioned films, Robin Wright’s first feature as a director is in essence a survival story. Yet the journey our protagonist goes on is motivated by a tragic loss. Wright plays Edee, a recently bereaved woman who can no longer stand to be around people and so decides to eke out a hermetic existence in rural Wyoming.

Given that she can barely manage to chop wood, let alone hunt for the food she’ll need to see her through the harsh winter months, all signs point to this being a foolhardy endeavour. When a bear ransacks her cabin, destroying her limited supplies, Edee’s situation becomes even more grave.

Enter Edee’s guardian angel, a kindly local hunter (played by Demián Bichir) who intervenes when she is at her lowest ebb. As the seasons change the pair form a close bond and Edee gradually comes to realise that life is worth living after all. Maybe there’s even some beauty left in this cruel world.

This must be the place for it; even though the film occasionally has the look of an overly-polished TV drama, the panoramic splendour of its primary locale (it was actually shot on location in Alberta, Canada) is truly awe-inspiring.

A few minor technical gripes aside, this is an accomplished debut from Wright, and her and Bicher’s undeniable star quality elevates the rather thin material.