Greetings again, readers, on this Sunday as another weekend is coming to a close. I t has been a refreshing one, though, getting back to posting reviews and other film-related material for your enjoyment. So, to conclude the weekend’s reviews, I bring you the third of the indie films viewed, “The Homesman”.
SEE THE TRAILER HERE
Directed by Academy Award-winning actor Tommy Lee Jones (who also help co-write the screenplay) and based on the novel by Glendon Swarthout, the story takes us to the Nebraska Territory circa the 1850’s and into the life of a local woman Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank), single, independent, and striving to make ends meet in the little community of Loup. Mary Bee is also desiring a husband, but seems to have no such luck in finding anyone willing to marry her, despite her intelligence, land ownership, and sheer desperation to make a better overall life. She makes this attempt with a local man, Bob Giffen (Evan Jones), whom she loans equipment to and invites to dinner periodically. The town’s preacher, Reverend Alfred Dowd (John Lithgow) visits to check up on her from time to time as well, moreso to see IF she has had any luck wooing Bob. We then also find out about one of the harshest realities in the pioneer life, courtesy of glimpses into the lives of 3 neighboring couples: Garn & Arabella Sours (Jesse Plemons & Grace Gummer), Vester & Theoline Belknap (William Fichtner & Miranda Otto) and Thor & Gro Svendsen (David Dencik & Sonja Richter). All of them have had such brutal and heart wrenching tragedy strike, that the wives have literally lost their minds, unable to function rationally anymore, to the building stress of their burned out husbands. After we are privy to some of the horrible conditions and treatment the women are enduring, it is decided they all need to go back East to their families to be cared for properly. Circumstances arise that end up having Mary Bee making the choice to take the women home, across the Nebraska prairies to the Missouri River and across to Iowa where Reverend Dowd has someone waiting to care for them. Strong-willed and insistent she CAN do the journey, Mary Bee ultimately comes upon a low-life drifter, George Briggs (Tommy Lee Jones), whose in a bit of a predicament himself (we see his story, briefly, prior to this meeting) and he reluctantly joins Mary Bee as the long and dangerous trek gets underway. Running into every possible type of trouble along the way, from their mentally unstable “cargo” to Indians, bandits, and unscrupulous businessmen, the unlikely pair manage to find a way to care about each other enough to especially help Briggs realize there’s more heart inside him than even he realized. And when another major incident occurs, Briggs again ends up having to take the necessary steps to show a depth of caring for others that has eluded him in a previously self-centered existence. Per usual, further details would mean spoilers, and not gonna do it!
I felt coming out of this film like I did when I viewed “Gone Girl”….this is a solidly written and WELL acted story, but there are harsh and depressing moments here that really were difficult for me to stomach for my own personal preferences. I don’t mind edgy, and I don’t mind a darker, intense tone, but some of the moments in this movie was just so unnerving that to say I, in any form, got engaged by it, would not be true. I cannot help but feel that actually IS the point I’m sure, because the depictions of what drives these three poor women mad ARE gut wrenching, and then seeing them IN this state as the journey progresses is sometimes just as hard to take in, which again, strangely enough, IS credit to the amazing PERFORMANCES Otto, Gummer, and Richter. Same can be said for Jones and Swank, who both deliver the kind of quality material acting-wise that you EXPECT from two Academy Award winners. Cuddy and Briggs are two characters that you at once both love and then even hate, as their tumultuous travels unfold, each having to truly face their own inner demons, limits, and personal desires, all while keeping watch over 3 other people who seem to have NO connections TO reality anymore. Now, even IN the midst of all of this misery, there are genuine moments of heart, love, and compassion as well, and HUMOR at times. Also solid are brief appearances by some superb supporting characters played by the likes of Tim Blake Nelson, Meryl Streep, James Spader, and Hailee Steinfeld. The visual look of the film is beautiful, with the open, far reaching landscapes of the Nebraska Territory being depicted. Content warnings would be mainly for language, violence, and several scenes involving nudity, though most were actually NOT sexual in nature, and one was disturbing, period. That all said, this is an intense character drama that most certainly will NOT be for everyone. Great performances all around could be seen as worth the emotionally draining tale itself, but I just don’t know if I can COMPLETELY say I would recommend this to most people I know.
As always, this is all for YOUR consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
