Sure, last night's Oscars left a lot to be desired, but what better way to wash away the hangover and hazy memories of smart-ass tweets than a killer trailer? Thus, I present the preview for Kelly Reichardt's new Western Meek's Cutoff, in which Michelle Williams and a three-family wagon team follow a shady-looking mountain man named Stephen Meek (Bruce Greenwood) over the Cascade Mountains only to find out he may not actually know where he's going. Also, water is scarce.
Word out of Venice, Toronto and Sundance was almost unanimously positive on the title and while I'll admit that Reichardt's first feature Old Joy didn't bowl me over the way it did some, her last collaboration with Williams, Wendy & Lucy was quite impressive. It takes a rare talent to evoke intimate emotional desperation in such a simple, minimalist framework.
Like that film, it looks as if Meek's Cutoff more or less boils down to survival, which is about as universal as themes of conflicts get. The film also seems to again employ a sense of minimalism, except it's about a hundred times more cinematic and adventurous because of the sweeping desert cinematography. And on that note, the perfect harmony between the images, score and the rhythm of editing here say a lot more than I could with any words. Watch it!
Verdict: Sold!