Meek’s Cutoff

Set during the 1800s, Meek’s Cutoff follows a disparate group of settlers (including Michelle Williams’ Emily, Paul Dano’s Thomas, and Will Patton’s Soloman) as they attempt to make their way across Oregon’s infamous (and perilous) trail. Filmmaker Kelly Reichardt has infused Meek’s Cutoff with an atmosphere of palpable authenticity that’s undoubtedly quite impressive, yet the director’s refusal to develop the various characters or offer up even a shred of plot ensures that the movie quickly becomes a seriously (and aggressively) tedious piece of work. The film, which ultimately comes to feel more like punishment than entertainment, has seemingly been designed to appeal solely to those viewers with a deep-seated interest in the time period, as it’s impossible to envision anyone else finding anything here worth embracing. Exacerbating the film’s hand’s-off atmosphere is the frustratingly unintelligible nature of over 80% of its dialogue, as Reichardt has evidently directed her actors to either mumble or whisper the majority of their lines. (It’s a problem that’s so bad, in fact, that coming upon a completely coherent conversation is akin to stumbling on a spring in the middle of the desert.) The end result is a maddeningly dull drama that might fare well among historians, admittedly, yet it’s impossible to envision even fans of the actors walking away from the proceedings satisfied.

1/2* out of ****