Meek's Cutoff (2010) Review

Title: Meek's Cutoff
Year: 2010
Director: Kelly Reichardt
Country: US
Language: English

The other day I was in the mood for a slow-paced meandering film that doesn't really go anywhere and doesn't make you think too hard. Too often when a movie crawls at a snail's pace it's trying to make you think and introspect, like Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Too often when you're not trying to think you get a movie that speeds far too quickly, like Avengers: Infinity War. Meek's Cuttoff was the perfect film for my mood. 

Settlers traveling through the Oregon desert in 1845 find themselves stranded in harsh conditions. Meek (Bruce Greenwood) is their guide, but it's not clear if he actually knows where they're going. If they don't find food & water soon they will die. 

Director Kelly Reichardt doesn't give us a typical three act structure, "hero's tale" or even a clear narrative. Meek's Cuttoff is an observational movie about man's conflict with nature, and, in the case of Meek & the indian, man's conflict with man. It is a picture of quiet desperation, of a slowly rising suspense that permeates the picture. 

Meek's Cutoff never overstates the harsh conditions for dramatic effect, rather the cinematography shows us the true implications for our characters. We are shown large looming landscapes that are often quite barren and uninvolved. The lack of light, and lack of anything apart from our travellers, show how imprisoning their situation is. Quite remarkable how a film like this can still be made. 

This picture is quite polarizing, as its pace and lack of action will turn off a considerable amount of people, but if this isn't one of the best films of the 2010's then I'm not sure what would qualify. Meek's Cuttoff is quite an accomplishment, deserving of all the awards a film could be given.