By: debbie lynn elias
For those of us that paid attention in elementary school history class, references to 1845 and the Oregon Trail spark a glimmer of recognition, if not more. The Oregon Trail was the passageway to the Pacific Northwest and served as a thoroughfare for hundreds of wagon trains loaded with settlers out to forge a new life and a new piece of history. One such wagon train, led by mountain guide, Stephen Meek, became lost in the Cascade Mountains. It is the story of these three families and their trust and reliance on Meek’s expertise that were discovered by screenwriter Jon Raymond and director Kelly Reichardt. Fascinated by the subject, the two delved ever deeper into history, reading not only written accounts penned by Meek himself discussing this ill-fated trip, but journals and diaries of settlers being led by Meek. The conflicting accounts and recollections (particularly those of the women on the trail), the persona of Meek himself and the hardships of 1845, begged to be told. The result is the spartan, but telling, and extraordinarily insightful MEEK’S CUTOFF.
Five weeks into the trip, Emily and Solomon Tetherow, Millie and Thomas Gately, and Glory and William White, are growing restless and suspicious of Stephen Meek. Travelling in the high plain desert, there are no mountains, no trees, no springs, rivers or lakes. Food is becoming scarce and scarcer still, their water supply. Debate begins amongst the settlers as to Meek’s qualifications, knowledge, arrogance and ability or lack thereof. Solomon Tetherow, the eldest of the group, asks for calm, reason and patience not only with Meek, but with each other. Solomon, a widower from his first marriage, has remarried Emily, a strong and strong-willed, thoughtful, tacit woman who prefers to sit back and observe before making any rush to judgments. They are a perfect match. The youngest couple, Millie and Thomas Gately, are more frivolous in their thoughts and actions, more inclined to whine about hardship and water, fly off the handle in hysteria, rather than take a step back and be contemplative about the situation. The Whites are travelling with their son. Leaving a comfortable life behind them, Glory is quiet but yearns for the comforts of her life with her parents.
As the days go on, the group becomes more divided in their thinking; especially when they capture a lone Indian whom they spotted watching them from afar. (Remember that at this point in American history, the white man and the Indians were not exactly on speaking terms.) Meek rants and raves about the untrustworthiness of Indians. (He’s also not too fond of settlers.) A screaming hysterical Millie Gately (clearly one of the early racists of our time) wants him killed on the spot. Emily sees the Indian as an answer to their prayers – he is in good health, not for want of water, yet riding out in the middle of nowhere. He must know the way to water and food.
Michelle Williams is emotionally luminous as Emily Tetherow. Quiet, determined, observant, Williams captures the essence and strength of a pioneering woman. This is not “Little House on the Prairie” or a glamorous saloon filled western town, which is what Hollywood has long led us to believe. The dirt under her nails is real. The dust rising from the plains from the scuff of her shoes is palpable. The chapped dry lips are not painted Harlot red. Williams is a study in tacit perfection as Emily Tetherow, particularly in her relationship with Ron Rondeaux’s Indian. There was a great unspoken connection between the two that the camera eloquently showed grow with curiosity and intensity.
Hand in hand with Williams is Will Patton. Again, strong, quiet. Patton’s Solomon Tetherow was the calm in the eye of a storm. Quite enjoyable is the chemistry between Patton and Williams. Believable, their relationship as the Tetherows really resonated in truth and authenticity. I was more than impressed with this pairing and these two performances.
Disappointing was Bruce Greenwood’s Meek, coming across more as a gruffer Wild Bill Hickok from an MGM musical as opposed to rugged mountain man. And surprisingly, Greenwood’s voicing was way off in this film. He can pick up accents and add vocal texture at the drop of a hat. But here, when Meek first speaks, there is a definite accent in place, guttural, boisterous and stilted. But intermittently throughout the film, the accent was lost. Very unlike Greenwood. And very distracting.
But talk about distracting, look no further than Zoe Kazan – the ever annoying-get-her-off-the-screen-oh-god-why-couldn’t-the-Indian-kill-her character of Millie Gately. Her shrill whiney blonde bimbette selfishness was the one downfall of Josh Radnor’s happythankyoumoreplease, and she does the same thing to MEEK’S CUTOFF. Kazan is someone who should never do anything but for parodies and farces. Almost equally as annoying was Paul Dano’s Thomas Gately. Granted, the youth that these two bring to the wagon train is an important element of the story in terms of generations with hopes and dreams, but these two are just grating. These characters are two reasons one must carefully choose travelling companions.
Shirley Henderson delivers a performance the likes of which we haven’t seen. Accustomed to her as Moaning Myrtle in “Harry Potter” or Bridget Jones’ best friend, as Glory White we see a new side to Henderson. Methodical, deliberate.
Although with minimal dialogue, the story is well told through visuals and some exemplary performances, with much of the perspective coming from the women. Kudos go to production designer David Doernberg who began with the Oregon Historical Society in his search for authenticity, and like Reichardt and co-writer Raymond, then dug deeper looking to historical preservationists for equipment, props, materials, tools, etc. Notable is the fact that all of the actors went to “pioneer camp” in order to prepare for the film. No stranger to life of the Old West, Ron Rondeaux, himself a superlative stuntman and expert horse trainer, was on the camp teachers. Each actor learned how to lead oxen, hitch a wagon, start a fire, how to use a coffee grinder, loading gunpowder and ammunition into a rifle, repair a broken axle. Michelle Williams even learned how to knit, with historically accurate knitting needles, to further fuel the authenticity of the film. Patton was particular about Solomon’s use of a specific hammer. Each of the couples “shopped” for their family’s personal items and then packed their own wagons.
Kelly Reichardt has done an outstanding job helming this film. Fascinating to watch, the historical accuracy and attention to detail is impeccable and appreciated. Minimalist dialogue is appropriate (although Kazan’s character should have been a deaf mute) and welcome, especially when watching the methodical nature of the journey and daily existence. The emotional conveyance of solitude and survivalist nature speaks volumes thanks to wonderful panoramic lensing of the emptiness and barrenness of the plains. And thanks to minimal dialogue, some great sound editing showcases the sounds of nature – the river babbling and rushing over rocks, the ladling of water, a drop of water in a wooden keg, the soft clink of a coffee pot dangling from a wagon in the wind, the sound of wind, dust being kicked up by shoes and wagon wheels, the creaks and groans of each roll of the wagon wheel………the sound element of MEEK’S CUTOFF is beyond reproach and thanks to its nuance, fuels a large part of the film’s emotion. Likewise, the cinematography. Lensing captures the scuffle of dust, the harshness of dry tindered chaparral, layers of dirt in the pores, heat rising from the ground……..Technically masterful.
The cultural references and societal structure infused into the emotional palette are striking to watch – settlers of varying ages and types mixing with the unknown element of Meek, and then adding an Indian. you have cultural and language barriers in play, plus the uncertainty of survival, the weight of rumors and historical precedent (Indians kill all the white men; all white men want to do is kill Indians and take their land; guys like Meek want to screw both). Also interesting within the film is the purpose of the individual settlers which shifted course during the film – most notable Dano’s character who showed his mercenary greedy streak when he found gold. This undoubtedly accounted for a shift in his character and the decisions Gately made with alliances within the group. The character arcs were a driving force of the story.
MEEK’S CUTOFF is one story out of a thousand in our nation’s history. But this story is one in which the audience will become so invested in the unvarnished struggle, the hardship, the journey of these settlers, that one can’t help but walk away from the theatre with a new sense of understanding and appreciation for America’s history.
Emily Tetherow – Michelle Williams
Solomon Tetherow – Will Patton
Stephen Meek – Bruce Greenwood
Glory White – Shirley Henderson
Directed by Kelly Reichardt. Written by Jon Raymond.
