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“Meek’s Cutoff” is a western-themed film that steps out of the norm just on the contrary. In simple terms, there is an attempt to capture and showcase the magnitude of hardship and reality that is associated with traveling via wagon trains to the wild west. Reichardt’s depiction accurately conveys what life would look like for the People who lived on the wagon’s. It is severe, dirty, and unexplainably hot and cold. It isn’t only Native Americans who pose the most threat, but diseases and accidents claim far more lives. After years of watching movies on the western, I’m guessing every wandering wagon harnessed by a horse trained by John Wayne was leading parades filled with flamethrowers, women draped in calico gowns, and others chanting ‘Red River Valley’ below a fire.
She does so by portraying the weaknesses of both nature and people in the Oregon Trail. By depicting everything missing from Hollywood’s greatest western drama, Kelly Reichardt makes sure to capture the true spirit of what “vaguely realizing Westward” can shed light upon. She’s showing how Stephen Meek, who boasts of having extraordinary skills as a guide while constantly pushing forward devoid of a clue, attempt’s to see the cascade mountains through his eyes gradually, piece by piece. A little along in his journey, it becomes apparent that he’s driving blind and hopelessly lost.
They are accompanied by their daughter Emily Tetherow (Michelle Williams), her husband Solomon (Will Patton), the young couple Millie and Thomas Gately (Zoe Kazan and Paul Dano), and the Whites, Glory, William and Jimmy (Shirley Henderson, Neal Huff and Tommy Nelson). In their wagons, they carry a few pieces of furniture, clothing, and a sullen pet bird whose pathetic size matches the unforgiving landscape. While they are away, the men huddle together as discuss their paranoia towards Meek and while doing so, it’s interesting to note that Reichardt aligns herself with the women warriors trying to eavesdrop on the conversation.
Broadly speaking, her interest lies within the realm of “womenfolk” as the Western genre used to refer to them. As such, she focuses now on Michelle Williams as Emily and, of course, Reichardt and Williams are collaborators on “Wendy and Lucy,” the haunting 2008 Range drifter drama, and her dog. Both films are penned by Jonathan Raymond. Initially, Williams seems like a frail, unassuming person, but in “Meek’s Cutoff,” she exposes, in a understated manner, her inner self-assurance. She knows the guide is lost, and she knows they will die from thirst. Most importantly, she knows they will capture an Indian (Rod Rondeaux) to find water.
The Indian, who is first sighted as a solitary figure on a cliff, is shown in a specific way. Unlike the fierce closeups of Indian warriors we have grown accustomed to in many Westerns, he is a silent enigmatic man, eremetic and self-contained, always observing, and is mostly captured in long and medium shots that the film employs. We have no idea as to what is going through his mind. Why should we? The two cultures had no understanding of one another around the year 1845.
At such a time when many directors seem to comfortably settle into the rhythm of a well known visual language, Reichardt manages to create an original strategy which underlines the distance and isolation of these travelers. This is the first new feature film that I have watched in a long time that has an aspect ratio of 1:1.33 (the same ratio used in films before the 1950s). That is the ratio of many, if not most, classic Westerns, but we expect widescreen these days. Instead, her frame encapsulates her characters, not in the landscape (which seems boundless) but rather in their situation. A group which is so small and helpless, tied down with whatever hopes and fears they may have. Just try to picture what it entailed to set out in a wagon pulled by an ox and cross an entire continent in search of whispers 165 years ago.
Certainly, the ladies from that era flaunted hooded sun bonnets. They are depicted like that in Western movies. But Hollywood costume departments were careful that the bonnets did not cover the faces of their stars like Joanne Dru. The bonnets in ‘Meek’s Cutoff’ bury faces deep into shadow so as to be difficult to see into and must create tunnel vision. They serve instead of restrict women. The men are concealed also; Meek with his biblical beard and his hat sitting low casting dark shadows over his face renders him altogether mysterious.
Pioneers here are submissive to the landscape. These particular pioneers do not astride the land, they wander over it in displeasure and weariness. Their wagon wheels barely have any grip on the ground. There is a poignant tragic moment. The peeps of the caged birds grow to mock the domesticity they have escaped.
“Meek’s Cutoff” is less about themes and more about the experience. It is a far stretch from its conflicts to attempt driving a coherent plot. The suspicion and anger of the group does not really matter within the scope of their overpowering falsity. She has the courage to accept this truth. She does not make it easy for us with lazy character based conflict. I am genuinely intrigued by the poorly educated pioneers who, for reasons of bravery, curiosity, or optimism, thought it reasonable to embark on the very perilous voyage. They certainly lacked any reason to stay behind where they began. Many set off from despair and perished in the hopeful journey or aimlessly trekked through the woods. I am learning that “Meek’s Cutoff” is inspired by true events. Well, I did not need to be told that.
Footnote: As you will see the film on, Steve Kraus of Chicago’s Lake Street Projection says, “We will be using a 1:1.33 ratio, which was true 1.37:1 Academy Ratio. By ‘true’ I mean it was possible to get similar onscreen results by pillar-boxing 1.33 within the cropped wide screen 1.85:1 aperture. This would facilitate the correct showing of such films in mainstream theatres. But ‘Meeks’ was the real deal, in the format of films from before the wide screen era. One would need the correct lenses and aperture plates to show.” Of course Steve has the lenses and plates. If you see this movie projected in wide-screen, it is being projected incorrectly.
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