Self-imposed exile is a common cinematic device used to frame narratives, with a variety of motivations for that lifestyle change. Venturing out solo into harsh or unknown conditions has been the premise of a range of films, including Wild and Into the Wild. Watching such a journey can be most poignant for what it reveals about its protagonist, and the beauty (or misery) they find along the way. Robin Wright makes her directorial debut with Land, a Focus Features production premiering at Sundance and slated for release on February 12th...
We first meet Edee (Robin Wright) as she drives a car with a U-haul trailer up winding mountain roads, told by the driver of the vehicle she is following that she’ll never be able to locate her destination on her own. When she reaches an isolated cabin and asks to have someone come pick up both the car and the trailer, he informs her that living out there with no car is not a recommended plan. Intent on solitude, Edee goes about a quiet life, quickly finding herself to be no match for the elements in the snowy Wyoming woods.
It’s hard not to compare this film with another female-led entry slated for release in February, the highly-acclaimed Nomadland. While Fern clearly communicates the catalysts for her lifestyle and does work to make ends meet, Edee is introduced at a point of deep resignation, intent on separating from the world for unexplained reasons. Over the course of the film, those do become clear, but that gradual reveal is very slow. Fern notices the wonder of the world around her in part because she has no choice but to, whereas Edee makes a conscious decision to ignore what she sees and starve herself of any opportunity for joy or appreciation.
Wright’s most prominent role in the past decade was House of Cards, where her cutthroat politician brutally took over the reins when her onscreen husband, played by Kevin Spacey, was written out of the show. She was also memorable in Ari Folman’s follow-up to Waltz with Bashir, The Congress, where her character, an actress, had her image digitized so that it could continue to exist for years without her needing to be involved. That idea is haunting, forcing her to step back into the shadows and detach from her identity, becoming a shell of a person as her likeness is no longer her own.
That’s one way to look at Edee, who can no longer find meaning in human interaction as a result of the trauma she has experienced. Like a computer using her image to fabricate a performance, however, there is something missing from this film. Its plot is expected and nothing about Edee or what she goes through onscreen feels unique. The stylistic elements, including the cinematography and set decoration, are strong, but its story isn’t nearly as entrancing. Wright has a compelling vision, but this project isn’t as emphatic at it wants to be.