Review: Haley Lu Richardson and Owen Teague in 'Montana Story'
Thursday, May 12, 2022 at 1:47PM by Matt St Clair
I've never been to Montana, being more of a metro/suburb-type person, but the luscious scenery always captured onscreen makes it compelling enough to want to explore. The deserted roads, the wide open spaces, the mountains accompanied by clear blue skies can make any Montana-set movie compelling even if the story isn’t. Such is nearly the case with the aptly-titled Montana Story, from the filmmaking duo Scott McGehee and David Siegel (The Deep End, What Maisie Knew, Bee Season).
The story itself is pretty simple. Two distant half-siblings Erin (Haley Lu Richardson) and Cal (Owen Teague) attempt to reconnect and heal their troubled past as they say goodbye to their dying father...
Between Cal dealing with Erin’s sudden arrival after being away for so long, a rift involving a sickly pet horse, and both of them coming to terms with their father’s neglect, the two siblings go on an immense emotional ride over the course of a few days. Erin and Cal continuously falling apart and piecing themselves back together doesn't break much new ground in “familial movie” territory but the family horse, Mr. T, is a distinctive script element thanks to its symbolic significance. Despite Mr. T’s ailing health, Erin yearns to take him back home since he offers some semblance of happiness from her otherwise dark childhood.
The two central actors do a capable job at making their tumultuous bond captivating. That's especially true of Haley Lu Richardson (After Yang, Support the Girls, Unpregnant) who once again shows she’s quietly become one of her generation’s very best. Even in Richardson’s very first scene, she’s able to fill us in on Erin’s struggle to return home with just her stuttering line delivery and stressed-out face. Watch the way Erin first stares at her bedridden father. That's a lot for her to bear both seeing him in that state and once again being in the presence of a loved one who inflicted serious emotional pain. Prickly yet empathetic, Richardson creates an effective, distressingly real portrait of someone battling past trauma.
On the flip side, Owen Teague is a more stoic presence as Cal. Erin's frustrations are continuously visible but Cal aims to shield his own; his turmoil only occasionally reaches his surface. A moment when he's recalling a traumatic childhood moment to his father’s nurse Ace (Gilbert Owuor) lingers thanks to Teague’s acting and the cinematography from DP Giles Nuttgens. As Cal tells his story, the camera slow zooms in on his face without cutting away to Ace’s reaction or to a flashback of that event. The details and the actors eyes pack an emotional punch.
Moments like those help Montana Story avoid becoming weighed down by its sluggish pacing and sequences of our main characters trekking across the Montana landscape that, while visually captivating, only make the picture longer than it needed to be. The script’s straightforward depiction of siblinghood doesn't do enough to elevate it. Yet, those who have firsthand experience with sibling/parent troubles might feel affected by its simple story and also, the compelling central performances. B-
Montana Story opens in theaters tomorrow.
Reader Comments (2)
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