Land is a drama film about a woman who has suffered a great tragedy; so, she decides to give up on her former life to experience what it's like to live closer to the wild and untamed land. Bent on her own self-destruction, she discovers that there are others like her, and accidentally befriends a man whose own journey crosses paths with hers. Edee (Robin Wright) is saying goodbye to her former life, as she drives a rental car on a one-way trip to a cabin in the woods. Intending to return to the land, the grieving woman quietly distances herself from everything she knows, giving it all up to exist completely outside of society. However, something inside of Edee isn't quite ready to give up yet. Her natural self-defense instincts kick in when she's faced with the challenge of living in utter isolation, with no survival skills. Even with a will to live, she finds herself on the brink of death, exposed to the elements and dehydrated. When hunter Miguel (Demián Bichir) and his nurse sister Alawa (Sarah Dawn Pledge) come across Edee, they manage to save her life. Miguel recognizes that Edee will not survive on her own, and he therefore offers to teach her to fend for herself, promising he won't tell her anything about what's going on in the world. While Edee relives her pain through flashbacks to a life she's left behind and to which she cannot return, she discovers that Miguel has a sad story of his own. A slow friendship builds between the two, filled with the quiet of these individuals who are both seeking to be left alone. Edee has a long journey ahead of her, but will she find what she's seeking in the vast emptiness of the mountains? The feature directorial debut of Robin Wright, known for directing television's House of Cards, as well as her numerous starring roles in films spanning decades, proves here that she can tell a great story, no matter how small. Land is an exhaustive deep dive into the grief of her character, Edee. She shows up with her characteristic charm, which helps to temper the intense, morbid sadness that her character is going through. She's clearly mapped out that there's danger around every turn, whether it will come from the brutal land surrounding her, or her own self-destructive impulses. Having proven her acting chops time and again, it's no surprise that Wright delivers a spectacular performance. The time her character spends in silence as she inadvertently befriends the sparse other players in the film is not wasted, despite a plethora of quiet. The best moments are found in watching Edee and Miguel both wrestle with their demons quietly together. Land is a slow, plodding journey across the emotional pain of a woman living with the ghosts of her past. Even though it's well executed, it can border on the tedious, despite a 90-minute run time. It lingers in the silences that accompany such grief. Not for the faint of heart, there's a sense of freedom offered in the wild landscape that mirrors her journey, yet the beautiful scenery and sweet friendships may not have the power to overcome the overarching dark tone.
