Land (2021 film)
Land is a 2021 drama film directed by Robin Wright in her feature directorial debut, from a screenplay by Jesse Chatham and Erin Dignam. It stars Wright, Demián Bichir and Kim Dickens. The film premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 31, and was released in the United States on February 12, 2021, by Focus Features. It received generally positive reviews from critics. Plot. After a traumatic experience Edee Holzer (Wright) is in the midst of therapy, revealing to the therapist that she doesn't like to be around people because she doesn't think  it's right that they share in her pain. Wanting to escape, she leaves the city she lives in and moves to Wyoming where she purchases a small remote cabin and resolves to live in solitude without any modern conveniences connecting her to the outside world, including telephones or cars. Initially, she struggles with basic provisions including chopping firewood and fishing. When a black bear enters her cabin, eats her food and destroys much of the rest of her supplies while she hides in her outhouse, she reaches her breaking point. Without a fire for heat or food to eat , she tries to hunt but cannot bring herself to shoot a deer she has in her sights. Overwhelmed, she attempts to take her life by shooting herself with the hunting rifle, stopping short when she remembers her sister Emma (Dickens) pleading not to hurt herself. During a violent snowstorm, the metal roof of her cabin becomes somewhat dislodged by the wind, making loud noises. She leaves the cabin to attempt repairs and is injured. A local hunter, Miguel (Bichir) and his friend and nurse Alawa (Pledge) rescue her and help her recover from her injuries and malnourishment. While Alawa  departs, Miguel remains to look after Edee by preparing her food, replenishing her supply of firewood, and restocking the rest of her cabin. Edee thanks Miguel for his kindness in helping her, but explains that she came to her cabin to be alone and wants to keep it that way. Miguel understands and offers to help equip her with better survival skills so that she can have the life of solitude that she wants. He shows her how to trap in the winter and hunt in the fall so she can provide herself with food. Over time they develop a  friendship as Miguel continues to join her to hunt, harvest crops, and explore her land. Miguel shares that his wife and daughter died in a car accident eight years prior, while Edee simply reveals that she used to have a family. Later while cooking dinner, Miguel remarks that if she doesn't want to talk about her past she ought to consider what she wants her future to be like. She suspects that he searched her history on the internet, though he's not even aware of her last name and explains that's impossible. Later Miguel asks her to  watch his dog while he goes away for a while, ostensibly for work. While he's gone Edee retrieves a collection of old photos revealing she was married with a son, and the father and son she saw fishing earlier on had been an apparition of her family. Months pass and Miguel hasn't returned, so Edee packs her belongings and ventures off of her land for the first time since her arrival to find him. She makes her way into town on foot and eventually finds Alawa working at the local hospital. Alawa takes her to see Miguel, who  is bedridden and dying from throat cancer. On his deathbed, he confesses that he was driving the night his wife and daughter were killed and it was because he was intoxicated that the accident happened. Edee responds that her husband Adam and son Drew were killed by a gunman in a concert hall. She thanks him for helping her heal and the life he gave back to her. Departing with his phone that he gifted to her, she calls her sister Emma for the first time since arriving in Wyoming. Production. In April 2019, it was announced Robin Wright would  star in and direct the film, from a screenplay by Jesse Chatham and Erin Dignam. In October 2019, Demián Bichir and Kim Dickens joined the cast of the film, with Focus Features distributing. Principal photography began in October 2019 in Alberta, Canada for twenty nine days. Release. The film premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 31, 2021. It was theatrically released in the United States on February 12, 2021. It was released on video on demand on March 5, 2021. Box office. "Land" grossed $2.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $585,207 in  other territories, for a total gross of $3.1 million. "Land" opened alongside "Judas and the Black Messiah" and grossed $899,010 from 1,231 theaters in its opening weekend ($1.1 million over the four-day frame), finishing fifth at the box office. In its second weekend the film dropped 44% to $500,010. Critical response. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 70% based on 181 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads, ""Land"s lovely vistas can't compensate for a hollowness at its center." On Metacritic, it has a  weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while 73% of filmgoers at PostTrak gave it a positive score and 42% saying they would definitely recommend it.