Review of The Homesman (2014) by Heidi L — 08 Dec 2014

One star as the absolute worst movie I've ever watched from an entertainment standpoint. However it gets 5 stars for its raw portrayal of the frailty of the human spirit of even the strong of will.

This is not a western, this is not about to tough times people faced going west, or starting a life in Nebraska and the weather they faced. This is not about men wanting to be farmers in the west and needing women as wives to start families and insure the future of their land through offspring. Nor is it about the strength and free will of some women and their strong contributions to the settling of the west.

It's about the loss of hope and it's destruction to the human spirit when it is felt, regardless of the strength of the individual facing it, man, woman or child. "Those without vision shall perish". But even more sad and hard to understand is the destruction and death of the human sprit when it appears all hope is lost. In this movie it manifest itself in the women who lose their minds, the men who appear lost and feel inadequate or destructive when they are unable to provide for their wives and families, and even a strong woman like Swank who appears to have a plan and assets to forge a future with a wanted husband only to have that plan undermined over and over by others. And Tommy Lee Jones is nothing more than evidence of ignorance, immorality, shallowness in stark contrast to those fighting to make a difference, even when he is faced with opportunity, guilt and a moment of reflection. I saw no reason to make this movie and had a hard time watching it trying to understand why it was made and why did anyone fund it's production. But I cried all the way home and was alarmingly depressed for the remainder of the evening. There is nothing redeeming about the loss of human spirit and it is never understood by others who have not experienced it.