Review of Meek's Cutoff (2011) by Ben L — 29 Mar 2017

Meek?s Cutoff is a simple film about a group of settlers crossing the US in the mid 1800s. It is a very quiet film that emphasizes atmosphere over action. The way they establish that atmosphere is extremely effective because I felt the heat, and the monotonous strain of crossing the desert.

There isn?t a lot of dialogue in the film, but there are moments where voices get raised as they debate the choices they are making. The actors were all fine, although there weren?t many big acting moments.

I cannot express enough how little happens in this movie. There are tons of scenes where they are literally just walking, and most of the conversations are framed in the same way about the same subjects.

Now, like any road-trip movie, there are a few obstacles or distractions along the way. These are the moments where the tension is supposed to build, but most of it is almost down-played and not much comes of it.

We never see a shining ray of joy or a truly tragic event, just small shifts in tone that are slightly more melancholy or slightly more hopeful. The ending was an interesting choice, and it did seem like the kind of thing that would make an audience talk extensively after leaving the theater, but it wasn?t enough to get me excited about what I had just watched.

I still give Meek?s Cutoff credit because, for a movie that seemed to be almost entirely about setting a mood, it was spot on. I felt the struggle of these characters, even if I didn?t enjoy the journey all that much.