Land

A twisted version of Nomadland.

In Nomadland, Fern hit the road out West to search for life’s meaning.  In Land, Edee flees Chicago to rent an abandoned cabin in the Rocky Mountains to flee life. Both had suffered family loses, but Edee doesn’t care if she lives or dies.

Robin Wright both directs the film and plays Edee. Upon arriving in the Rockies, she ditches her cell phone and has her rental car removed. She has no interest in the real world.

With winter coming on and no survival skills, she faces starvation when a bear destroys her food supply. On top of that, her cabin has no heat when her wood pile is covered in snow.

Despite spectacular scenery and great soundtrack, the first half of the movie will leave many of you mumbling, “For God’s sake, Edee, just die and end the misery for all of us, ok?”  Fortunately, the movie is saved when Damian Bichir’s Miguel comes to the rescue.

Playing a hunter who senses trouble in the cabin, he brings a nurse who saves Edee.  As seen in both The Hateful Eight (2015) and The Midnight Sky (2020), Mr. Bichir is an actor shining in small roles.  Having his own hidden health problem, he helps Edee rediscover life by teaching her how to hunt and trap.

It is tough to recommend a film that many friends have hated while my wife Monica loved it.  Then again, Mo is not a film fan, so watch it with some trepidation.

The movie would have greatly benefited if Fern had found Edee in her travels.  Then again, Fern didn’t need more agony in her life.