Viggo Mortensen directs Vicky Krieps, Solly McLeod and himself in this dramatic western exploring the interrupted relationship between two immigrants in the frontier after war, duty and vengeance separate them.

Most Hollywood westerns, as much as I love them, ignore the fact that the white people who carved out dominion of the Americas would not all sound like they were born and bred in Texas. Focus is often on the lawlessness rather than the culture. The incongruously bright fabrics in the dusty wilderness, the sharing of books, the birth of commerce, the masculine world with traces of a future home embedded within them like fortune cookie notes. This tender tough romance with rifles redresses the balance. The location and ensemble are spot on. The scale is both intimate and expansive, near fantastical in moments. An award worthy central performance by Krieps anchors all the ambition. Slow but more than worth your time.

7

Perfect Double Bill: Meek’s Cutoff (2010)

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