Blu-Ray Review: Brilliant Subtlety of Existential, Striking ‘Meek’s Cutoff’

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CHICAGO – Kelly Reichardt’s “Meek’s Cutoff” is certainly not a film for everyone. It features long, drawn-out scenes that are not only free of dialogue but basically just feature sorrowful people walking to the rhythm of the wagon wheel and the tune of the blowing wind. For the right viewers, these passages will frustrate but if you give yourself over to this remarkable film, they will build tension inside of you in a unique, discomfiting way.

Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

Very few films have ever conveyed an impending sense of doom as successfully as this one. And the key questions of Jon Raymond’s screenplay are timeless: Which way do you go when you’ve lost the map? Who do you trust when you can’t see beyond the horizon? How does someone simply keep moving forward when it’s so unclear where we’re going?

Meek’s Cutoff
Photo credit: Oscilloscope Pictures

I adore this film, recently released in another spectacular Oscilloscope edition. This company has slowly become one of the most impressive DVD and Blu-ray houses on the market. I eagerly anticipate new Oscilloscope releases with their innovative packaging, strong transfers, and excellent special features.

Meek’s Cutoff was released on Blu-ray and DVD on September 13th, 2011 Photo credit: Oscilloscope Pictures

Stephen Meek (Bruce Greenwood, in one of the best supporting performances of the year) gives the film its title. He is a world-weary guide who brags of his harrowing adventures with the Native Americans of the area and promises the way across desolation to a new society. There are no roads, no signs of water, and no signs of civilization. But Meek knows the way. Right? So is the hope of the Tetherows (Michelle Williams & Will Patton), the Gatelys (Paul Dano & Zoe Kazan), and the Whites (Shirley Henderson & Neal Huff).

“Meek’s Cutoff” opens as the group has been traveling for some time. As the search for water becomes more and more desperate, they begin to openly wonder if Meek knows where he is going. After an encounter with a resident of Indian country (Rod Rondeaux), the situation becomes even more divisive as the group questions whether or not there may be a better choice for guide than the man who got them into this predicament.

Reichardt’s film works its way under your skin by essentially making you a part of this convoy from Hell. Shooting in 1:1 full frame, Reichardt gives “Meek’s Cutoff” the feel of an old-fashioned Western while also limiting the audience’s perspective. There are shots in “Meek’s” where the screen is cut off in such a way that we can’t see the beginning or end of the convoy as we would in widescreen, adding to the sensation that these people are truly lost. We feel lost along with them. It adds a sense of unease that carries through the entire film…and beyond.

The Blu-ray edition of “Meek’s Cutoff” not only comes in the stellar packaging now associated with Oscilloscope but includes an essay by Richard Hell and a DVD version of the film, along with a featurette about the movie called “The Making of Meek’s Cutoff.” While I always like behind-the-scenes information, “Meek’s Cutoff” is one of those films without much need for explanation. It speaks for itself.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com