Movie Review: Land

Focus  Features Land opens in theaters Friday, February 12, 2021, after its World Premiere at Sundance Film Festival. 

I have always been outdoorsy, but something changed when COVID hit. Instead of sulking about what I couldn\’t do (like going to the movies), I found myself spending more time somewhere that is never closed…nature. 

More time in nature made me realize I want to move off-grid into a quaint cabin in the woods. Of course, I wouldn\’t want to be completely cut off from everything I am all about amenities (running water, electricity, and access to food). I think that is why I was absolutely thrilled to hear about the movie Land and went into it with big expectations. Let me tell you Land did NOT disappoint. 

In fact, a line in the movie resonated with me more than one ever has before. Edee says, \”I want to notice more.\” That my friends has been my theme for the past year. I started taking moments to soak everything in. I stopped enjoying sunrises and sunsets from behind my phone and actually became present in the moment.

What I thought of Land: 
The storyline is straight as an arrow, and after nearly a year of being cooped up with little to no real human interaction, there is something comforting about the story of pain and healing through personal growth and relationships. Land may not be deep and dramatic, but it gets your heartstrings going and truly makes you stop and think of what is important. 

After a devastating personal tragedy Edee (Robin Wright) has decided to move off-grid and live off the land. Edee\’s sister Emma (Kim Dickens) asked Edee to not inflict any self-harm, and this is where the grand adventure begins. Edee leaves the city she knows behind and moves to a cabin in the secluded Wyoming wilderness. As a city girl, Edee finds herself to be ill-equipped to survive in a secluded situation. 

When I tell you she heads off the grid I am not exaggerating in the slightest. Edee has no car, no electricity, no phone, no running water, and the bathroom is an outhouse outside of the cabin. Edee is 100% living off the land and everything it provides, however not knowing how to chop wood, properly start a fire, hunt, and making simple mistakes like leaving the house door open when she goes out to the outhouse leaves her close to death. 

Miguel (Demián Bichir) a local hunter discovers Edee on the brink of death and helps nurse her back to life. Edee is reluctant to forgo any new bonds (as she is off the grind to get away from people), and even tells Miguel that she doesn\’t want any news from the outside world. Miguel agrees and a friendship begins to bloom.

Not only does Miguel teach Edee the skills she needs to live and survive in the wild (fish, hunt (skin a deer), cook the meat), but how to live again in the world. Which gives you all those warm fuzzy feelings and faith in humanity once again. 

During most of the movie, you will find Edee alone onscreen as she learns to adapt to dwindling canned goods, adapting to harsh winters, and just all together learning to survive. Land has definitely made me want to learn more about survival skills and I am going to create a blog series that will teach basic skills that could come in handy even if you do not find yourself in a living off the land situation like Edee. 

Land showed hope, resilience, the power of determination, and the kindness of human beings that we all could use right now. I have already watched Land twice, and fall in love with it, even more, each time I watch it.

If you are outdoorsy, looking for a heartfelt movie, have a thing for survival I highly recommend checking out Land when it hits theaters February 12. 

Land Synopsis:
From acclaimed actress Robin Wright comes her directorial debut LAND, the poignant story of one woman’s search for meaning in the vast and harsh American wilderness. Edee (Wright), in the aftermath of an unfathomable event, finds herself unable to stay connected to the world she once knew and in the face of that uncertainty, retreats to the magnificent, but unforgiving, wilds of the Rockies. After a local hunter (Demián Bichir) brings her back from the brink of death, she must find a way to live again.

Director: Robin Wright
Writer: Jesse Chatham and Erin Dignam
Producers: Allyn Stewart, Lora Kennedy, Leah Holzer, Peter Saraf
Cast: Robin Wright, Demián Bichir, Kim Dickens