The Homesman (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'The Homesman' (directed, co-written, & starring Tommy Lee Jones) tells a gritty tale of frontier life in mid-19th century Nebraska. The 1st character we meet is pious, independent-minded Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank), an educated woman originally from NY who finds life on the plains to be - well, like everyone else - difficult. She is resourceful, has some $$, but is also a cripplingly lonely spinster. We see this in an early scene when she suggests marriage to a kindly neighbor, but he disappoints her, saying that she's just as "plain as a pot" and "too bossy". Meanwhile, the town preacher (John Lithgow) confides to his small parish that 3 local housewives (Miranda Otto, Grace Gummer, Sonja Richter) have recently gone insane through the desolation of their existence & the harsh pioneer life.
Otto's character can't handle that disease has stricken her cattle; she also executes post-partum depression infanticide. Gummer's character grieves the death of her 3(!) babies from diptheria. And Richter's character attempts suicide by darning needle after her mother dies, and from repeated sexual assaults by her husband -- I think I'd go crazy, too! The preacher requests a "homesman": someone strong, smart, & trustworthy to transport these 3 women across the plains for a 5-week journey to Iowa where a Methodist minister & his wife (Meryl Streep) have agreed to offer them hospice {little do they know what they're getting}. Problem for the preacher is, no 'man' will do it. And so, headstrong Mary steps in & offers herself up for this unenviable job {she doesn't have a family to worry about}.
Transporting the 3 women in a rigged-up covered wagon, she soon realizes just how grim, dangerous, & difficult the task at hand is. Opportunity for help makes itself known when she employs ornery, low-life drifter, George Briggs (TL Jones), whom was mercifully cuts down from a tree; left hanging for dead by vigilantes. They co-exist with an air of mutual suspicion & resentment. But even as they learn to respect each other, this band of 5 have other problems to face on their journey: brutal weather, harsh landscapes, starvation, bandits, deadly Indians and, perhaps worst of all ... psychological peril. Plot twists ensue.
Now, an element of bleak tragedy enters the film about 2/3 of the way through. It's a shocking narrative swerve and, I warn now that Hilary Swank's character does something that could be a deal-breaker for some viewers. On a surface level, it's a sad development. Below that, it may look like it upends the 'feminist' take on the story. However, I choose to look at it as a more sobering, realistic take on what was going on in the hearts, souls, & minds of those despairing in 1850's Nebraska -- there weren't many outlets or lights-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel for some folks. And I think that TL Jones captures the truth of that feeling rather poetically.
Though 'The Homesman' comes across as a relatively spare enterprise, there's actually a lot bubbling beneath the surface. Yes, the film can be viewed as a sort of retro-Western. It's obviously a sort of feminist story; Mary Cuddy can be seen as a before-her-time heroine for stepping up to the plate to do what she's willing to do. There's an adventure component (though, it's very low-key). There's even some (misplaced) comedic elements in the film. But I think the biggest theme going in TL Jones' movie is that of the little-spoken-of 'Prairie Fever' that afflicted men & women looking for their grand Manifest Destinies out west. Frontier life was HARD. It made sensible men turn to violent ways. And it made normal young women become depressed and/or go crazy. This film perfectly illuminates that state of mind with real poetic eloquence; the pain, strife, & unpredictable hardships that these people had to face.
Hilary Swank gives an excellent multi-dimensional performance. Mary was viewed as a complete social pariah within the stultifying courtship culture of the frontier. If you weren't married with children, you were useless. And Swank perfectly conveys the loneliness, quiet pain, & suppressed hopelessness of this type of woman. She's looking for gentleness & love in a world full of cantankerous, ill-suited TL Joneses. And still, I enjoyed the peculiar chemistry that these two find in each other. Small turns by Meryl Streep, William Fichtner, Tim Blake Nelson, James Spader, & Hailee Steinfeld aid the story, as well.
I also must praise Rodrigo Prieto’s gorgeous vista cinematography; his lensing of the parched, forlorn open prairies & the bleak, menacing skies is like a major character unto itself. And so, the stark beauty of the plains, the unusual bonding of Mary/Griggs/3 helpless women, and the trajectory of this graceful, but somewhat twisted story is rather appealing to me. The ending may be a touch unsatisfactory & a bit ambiguous, but I really admire this grim slice of life tale. I tend to like more dismal/depressing fare, anyway. 'The Homesman' fits that bill (blending beauty & tragedy) ... and it's still haunting me.
Otto's character can't handle that disease has stricken her cattle; she also executes post-partum depression infanticide. Gummer's character grieves the death of her 3(!) babies from diptheria. And Richter's character attempts suicide by darning needle after her mother dies, and from repeated sexual assaults by her husband -- I think I'd go crazy, too! The preacher requests a "homesman": someone strong, smart, & trustworthy to transport these 3 women across the plains for a 5-week journey to Iowa where a Methodist minister & his wife (Meryl Streep) have agreed to offer them hospice {little do they know what they're getting}. Problem for the preacher is, no 'man' will do it. And so, headstrong Mary steps in & offers herself up for this unenviable job {she doesn't have a family to worry about}.
Transporting the 3 women in a rigged-up covered wagon, she soon realizes just how grim, dangerous, & difficult the task at hand is. Opportunity for help makes itself known when she employs ornery, low-life drifter, George Briggs (TL Jones), whom was mercifully cuts down from a tree; left hanging for dead by vigilantes. They co-exist with an air of mutual suspicion & resentment. But even as they learn to respect each other, this band of 5 have other problems to face on their journey: brutal weather, harsh landscapes, starvation, bandits, deadly Indians and, perhaps worst of all ... psychological peril. Plot twists ensue.
Now, an element of bleak tragedy enters the film about 2/3 of the way through. It's a shocking narrative swerve and, I warn now that Hilary Swank's character does something that could be a deal-breaker for some viewers. On a surface level, it's a sad development. Below that, it may look like it upends the 'feminist' take on the story. However, I choose to look at it as a more sobering, realistic take on what was going on in the hearts, souls, & minds of those despairing in 1850's Nebraska -- there weren't many outlets or lights-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel for some folks. And I think that TL Jones captures the truth of that feeling rather poetically.
Though 'The Homesman' comes across as a relatively spare enterprise, there's actually a lot bubbling beneath the surface. Yes, the film can be viewed as a sort of retro-Western. It's obviously a sort of feminist story; Mary Cuddy can be seen as a before-her-time heroine for stepping up to the plate to do what she's willing to do. There's an adventure component (though, it's very low-key). There's even some (misplaced) comedic elements in the film. But I think the biggest theme going in TL Jones' movie is that of the little-spoken-of 'Prairie Fever' that afflicted men & women looking for their grand Manifest Destinies out west. Frontier life was HARD. It made sensible men turn to violent ways. And it made normal young women become depressed and/or go crazy. This film perfectly illuminates that state of mind with real poetic eloquence; the pain, strife, & unpredictable hardships that these people had to face.
Hilary Swank gives an excellent multi-dimensional performance. Mary was viewed as a complete social pariah within the stultifying courtship culture of the frontier. If you weren't married with children, you were useless. And Swank perfectly conveys the loneliness, quiet pain, & suppressed hopelessness of this type of woman. She's looking for gentleness & love in a world full of cantankerous, ill-suited TL Joneses. And still, I enjoyed the peculiar chemistry that these two find in each other. Small turns by Meryl Streep, William Fichtner, Tim Blake Nelson, James Spader, & Hailee Steinfeld aid the story, as well.
I also must praise Rodrigo Prieto’s gorgeous vista cinematography; his lensing of the parched, forlorn open prairies & the bleak, menacing skies is like a major character unto itself. And so, the stark beauty of the plains, the unusual bonding of Mary/Griggs/3 helpless women, and the trajectory of this graceful, but somewhat twisted story is rather appealing to me. The ending may be a touch unsatisfactory & a bit ambiguous, but I really admire this grim slice of life tale. I tend to like more dismal/depressing fare, anyway. 'The Homesman' fits that bill (blending beauty & tragedy) ... and it's still haunting me.