"Blood or Water?"

"I leave the gambling up to men the likes of you." - Emily Tetherow

I'm skipping over writing a synopsis of the film since I am assuming that anyone reading this has already seen it. So, sorry, Jason. Meek's Cutoff SPOILERS ahead.

I read somewhere that this is the type of film that you decide to love or hate within the first few minutes. I think that I decided to like it once the cross-stitched title was put up on screen. It sets the tone for the film and shows us that Reichhardt is committed to the beauty of telling a minimalist story in a voyeuristic (but inclusive) way, which is no surprise given her previous films Old Joy and Wendy and Lucy. 

The scenes in the very beginning, when the group is crossing the water, are so well done and meditative that I was amazed at how much I started to invest in the hardships without ever seeing a face or hearing a voice. And I think this is the key, at least for me, to really appreciating this movie on an emotional level and not just as a well made and acted film. Throughout the movie I knew just as little as the characters did. The camera often pulls back a bit during conversations about how to proceed - not that the conversations hold the answers. Reichardt never tips her hand once as to how much the Indian knows or where he is leading and as an audience member I felt the uncertainty. This is a brave thing to do as a filmmaker - to have the audience "lost" in the same way as the characters.

One of my favorite scenes is also one that I think is the most telling. After crossing the water and after the beautiful shot of one landscape fading into another (but really, don't all the landscapes in this film melt together in the sun?), Millie, played by Zoe Kazan, is seen carefully refilling the water in her bird cage. She does this with such tenderness and care that it is not only a beautiful piece of acting but a very poignant depiction of what is to come. After starting the movie with the characters rich with water (indeed up to their necks in it), this is the scene that brings us down to reality. Perhaps I'm placing too much emphasis here and I'd be interested to hear what others think. I also think this scene sets the stage for her "breakdown" later in the film. She looks so innocent and unprepared for what is ahead.

In John's reading of the film Meek is clearly painted as the bad guy, the serpent. Arrogant, vulgar and childish (look who is the only one impressed by his stories) I agree that he is the easy villain among the group. However, I can not help but read a subtext in his character. Maybe his humbled ending has me biased. While I am not necessarily sympathetic to him, I am able to jump over and see his side. I was mentioning this to John after the film. I can not make myself hate him. Maybe this means that I am weaker in the face of the subtle serpent than I thought. Plus, the man has some impressive feet.

If I did not like the ending, it was only in the general "this film is so good I don't want it to ever end" sense. The film begins to make its way out when the Indian sings over William White after he falls ill. That felt like a hopeful moment even though it comes at the very time when Death makes its first attempt at one of the group. It is not soon afterwards that they find, to stay with the Genesis reading, the Tree of Life. It is a bit ironic that Meek then speaks what may be some of the wisest words in the entire film. The ambiguous ending is not only beautiful but inevitable. The film has not presumed to say much throughout and continues to leave the audience free to make up their own mind at the end.

In many ways this film continues with the themes that Reichardt has explored in her earlier films. In fact, as I mentioned to John, in light of how both Old Joy and Wendy and Lucy end, the ending to Meek's Cutoff is to be expected. They all end with the characters walking out of the film, not necessarily better or more enlightened, but with a hint of what is possible (just a hint). We were introduced to a brief segment of the characters lives and now it is time for them to go. I would say that both her previous films deal with loneliness and the feeling of being "lost" in different ways and that Meek's Cutoff is actually a logical progression for Reichardt.

Alright, I guess that is all I'm going to write for now. I've largely ignored the symbolism (religious, mythical/naturalistic and archetypal) in the film and would like to discuss that more in future posts. Also, I'm realizing now just how rich all of the characters are and that I've barely scratched the surface by writing only about Millie and Meek. More on the rest, especially Emily, to come soon too.

I will say that Meek's Cutoff is my favorite film of 2011 (or 2010 for John). I think that it is something new and brave and important - more of an experience than a film. It is amazing how this film has been slowly creeping through my brain over the last 14 hours. I read somewhere that Reichardt is the Emily Tetherow of modern cinema and I kind of like that.

Oh, interesting side note: After the film I came out of the bathroom and found the projectionists tied up between two chairs with John yelling and pantomiming something about leading him to the 1.33.1 print.