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Land Blu-ray Review

“Land” is impactful, but lacks depth.

In 2021’s “Land,” Robin Wright stars as a woman named Edee who has suffered unimaginable loss. Disconnected from life, Edee decides to move to a remote cabin in the Wyoming wilderness by herself without electricity, a phone, and a car. Edee soon learns she is out of her league and narrowly loses her life until a kind hearted hunter (Miguel) and nurse (Alawa) save her life. As she is nursed back to health, she begins to befriend Miguel and learn vital tips on how to survive on her own. Will she be able to move on from the past and adjust to a new life?

Robin Wright performs double duties in “Land” as both star and director in this drama about grief, mental health, loss, nature, and life. If the plot synopsis sounds familiar that’s because it shares a resemblance to recent dramas such as “Wild” and even the Academy Award winning “Nomadland.” There’s a lot of familiarity here with the script by Jesse Chatham and Erin Dignam and that’s one of its issues. The not so subtle “Land” has little new to say with its story about living off the land and learning to live again. It’s largely an all too predictable character piece with a clear beginning, middle, and end that can be seen coming a mile away. Everything here is very surface level which is odd considering it tries to be an introspective story.

Visually, the movie is stunning. The location shooting, the landscapes, and the seasons are beautifully captured by cinematographer Bobby Bukowski. It certainly looks cinematic and Robin Wright clearly showcases skills as a filmmaker in her directorial debut.

I’m not always fond of a star directing a film and acting in it themselves because it can feel self-indulgent. It can feel like they are making the movie for themselves to give themselves the part they want. There’s definitely some of that here with Robin Wright who is trying to do everything in front of the camera and behind it.. Luckily, she’s such a good actress she can pull it off. Yes, it can feel a bit showy at times, it’s one of her top tier performances to be sure. The real star though is Demian Bichir as Miguel. He gives such a gentle, down to earth performance. The finale with him and Wright are deeply emotional and arguably redeem the entire movie.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.66:1 1080p. How does it look? Expect a pristine print.

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? This 5.1 track provides a nice crisp audio experience.

Extras:
* Digital copy
* “Crafting Land”- A featurette on the location shooting, the cabin, the month long shoot.
* “Robin Wright: Feature Film Directorial Debut”- The title says it all.
* “After The Trauma”- An extra about Edee’s character arc.

May 9, 2021 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Land Blu-ray Review, Land Movie, Robin Wright