Review of Meek's Cutoff (2011) by Trevor H — 31 Dec 2011

Western that tells us the story of 3 families in the early days of the Oregon Trail. They have decided to abandon the main caravan and follow a mountain man, Stephen Meek, as their guide. He sustains to know a cutoff to get to the mountains. But, after many days wandering the Oregon desert with little water and food, their faith on him runs low. It is, then when they find and capture and American Indian. In a desperate attempt to find water they decide to follow the Native rather than their chosen guide, but is he really trustable? The pioneers are torn between their broken believe in one of their own and the uncertainty of the motives of the native.

This is not the conventional western with classic fight good against evil, lots of action scenes and shootings. In a way, this is like poetry, three wagons finding their way through the emptiness of the desert, endless walking, pushing and riding. Aesthetically it is interesting, it is almost colourless, no reds or blues or greens, it all seems to be sepia, the colour of the dry grass of the desert, the colour of really old movies. It is a slow drama about human faith and fear.