Meek's Cutoff (2010)

Director:

Kelly Reichardt

Writer:

Jonathan Raymond (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 April 2011 (Ireland)

Genre:

Drama | Western

Plot:

Settlers traveling through the Oregon desert in 1845 find themselves stranded in harsh conditions.

Plot Keywords:

Oregon | Desert | Trust | Water | Oregon Trail

Awards:

3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Michelle Williams	...	Emily Tetherow
Bruce Greenwood	...	Stephen Meek
Will Patton	...	Soloman Tetherow
Zoe Kazan	...	Millie Gately
Paul Dano	...	Thomas Gately
Shirley Henderson	...	Glory White
Neal Huff	...	William White
Tommy Nelson	...	Jimmy White
Rod Rondeaux	...	The Indian

Directed by
Kelly Reichardt

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jonathan Raymond		screenplay (as Jon Raymond)

Produced by
Elizabeth Cuthrell	....	producer
Todd Haynes	....	executive producer
Neil Kopp	....	producer
Phil Morrison	....	executive producer
Andrew Pope	....	executive producer
Laura Rosenthal	....	executive producer
Mike S. Ryan	....	executive producer
Vincent Savino	....	co-producer
Anish Savjani	....	producer
Rajen Savjani	....	executive producer
Steven Tuttleman	....	executive producer
David Urrutia	....	producer

Original Music by
Jeff Grace

Cinematography by
Christopher Blauvelt

Film Editing by
Kelly Reichardt

Casting by
Laura Rosenthal

Production Design by
David Doernberg

Art Direction by
Kat Uhlmansiek

Costume Design by
Victoria Farrell		(as Vicki Farrell)

Makeup Department
Linda Andrews	....	key makeup artist
David Kennedy	....	key hair stylist
David Kennedy	....	wig stylist
Jamespatrick Smith Jr.	....	makeup artist
Leo Won	....	makeup department head

Production Management
Brett Cranford	....	unit production manager
Josh Rappaport	....	post-production supervisor (as Joshua Rappaport)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Chris Carroll	....	first assistant director
Kyle Eaton	....	second assistant director
Rose Leiker	....	additional second assistant director
Matt O'Connor	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Michael Brophy	....	storyboard artist
Victoria Farrell	....	embroidery: title (as Vicki Farrell)
Marlene McCarty	....	embroidery: title
Guthrie McCarty-Vachon	....	illustrator: main title
Jason Ruffolo	....	set dresser
Joe Rynearson	....	set dresser
Kate Smith	....	set dresser
Nate Smith	....	assistant property master
Ryan Warren Smith	....	property master (as Ryan Smith)
Arly Williams	....	art intern

Sound Department
Felix Andrew	....	sound mixer
Javier Bennassar	....	supervising sound editor
Jean-Michel Beranger	....	french dubbing mixer
Ryan Collins	....	assistant sound editor
Lara Dale	....	foley artist
Ellen Heuer	....	foley artist
Tim Limer	....	mix recordist
A. Josh Reinhardt	....	foley mixer (as Josh Reinhardt)
Leslie Shatz	....	sound designer
Leslie Shatz	....	sound re-recording mixer
Dell Winter	....	dialogue editor (uncredited)
Mandell Winter	....	supervising sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Brad Dunten	....	fire expert

Stunts
Brian Duffy	....	utility stunts
Khristian Lupo	....	utility stunts
Jason Rodriguez	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Eric Hill	....	still photographer
Stephen MacDougall	....	first assistant camera
Simon Max Hill	....	still photographer
Jason McCormick	....	additional first assistant camera
Kyle Metzger	....	camera swing
Efrem Peter	....	gaffer
Eliza Plumlee	....	second assistant camera
Madison Rowley	....	camera intern
Greg Schmitt	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Greg Schmitt	....	steadicam operator
Matthew Semchee	....	additional key grip
Chris Strauser	....	additional second assistant camera
Savannah Teller-Brown	....	camera loader
Corey Walter	....	still photographer
Greg Wick	....	camera swing
Brian Shotzbarger	....	key grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Maribeth Fox	....	casting associate
Simon Max Hill	....	casting: Oregon

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Grace Ryung Kim	....	costume maker (uncredited)
Jamespatrick Smith Jr.	....	wardrobe assistant (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Gordon Bell	....	first assistant editor
Donnie Creighton	....	digital intermediate producer
Eric Hill	....	editorial technical consultant
Michael D. Most	....	digital intermediate colorist (as Mike Most)
Jon Pehlke	....	on-line editor
Tim Safarik	....	colorist: dailies
Tomas Vengris	....	first assistant editor
David Waters	....	digital intermediate producer
Tricia Chiarenza	....	color timer (uncredited)
Paul Amadeus Kim	....	on-line editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Dave Eggar	....	music producer
Dave Eggar	....	musician: cello
Jeff Grace	....	music producer
Stefan Karrer	....	soundtrack album producer (uncredited)

Other crew
George Adams	....	assistant production coordinator
Sotirios Bakouros	....	set intern
Arpita Banker	....	production accountant
Morgan Bateman	....	animal trainer
Gordon Bell	....	script supervisor
Mike Brantley	....	set teacher
M.E. Buckner	....	historical consultant
John Burnside	....	translator: Nez Perce language
Barbara Carr	....	representative: American Humane Association
Rives Curtright	....	production assistant
Scott Davis	....	animal trainer
Sarah Devere	....	office production assistant
Greta Emang	....	set medic
Rosario Estrella	....	set intern
Roger D. Faires	....	location manager (as Roger Faires)
Evan Franulovich	....	production assistant
Sam Gaty	....	production assistant
Nicole Hawkins	....	production accountant
Mark Jarrett	....	additional locations
Matt Jay	....	production assistant
Michael J. Jones	....	historical consultant
Paul Kohler	....	additional locations
Rosen Lewis	....	production legal
Marlene McCarty	....	title designer: main and end titles
Kalen Mendenhall	....	set intern
Kellen Molica	....	production office intern
Mike Morris Jr.	....	animal trainer (as Mike Morris)
Kristen Parr	....	translator: Nex Perce language
David Parson	....	production assistant
John Parson	....	production assistant
Paul Parson	....	set intern
Lance Rosen	....	production legal
Erin Shelley	....	animal trainer
Natasha Shumny	....	post facilities coordinator
Alison R. Smith	....	animal trainer (as Alison Smith)
Cody Smith	....	animal trainer
Diana Smith	....	animal trainer
Tanya Smith	....	production coordinator
Sara Suffriti	....	chef: dinner
Scott Tuning	....	medical supervisor
Nicholas Van Atta	....	chef assistant: dinner (as Nick Van Atta)
Zoe Bower	....	post facilities manager (uncredited)
Tana David	....	post facilities coordinator (uncredited)
Evan Franulovich	....	craft service (uncredited)

Thanks
Matthew Ebert	....	thanks
Larry Fessenden	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Evenstar Films
• Film Science
• Harmony Productions
• Primitive Nerd

Distributors

• Eye Film Instituut (2012) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Kinosmith (2011) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Peripher (2011) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Pretty Pictures (2011) (France) (theatrical)
• Alambique Destilaria de Ideias Unipessoal (2011) (Portugal) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2011) (Australia) (all media)
• Oscilloscope Pictures (2011) (Canada) (all media)
• Oscilloscope Pictures (2011) (USA) (all media)
• Soda Pictures (2011) (UK) (all media)

Other Companies

• A-List Animals  animal provider
• Alex's in-the-Kitchen  catering (as Alex in the Kitchen)
• Checkmark  funding
• Frenchy's Catering  catering
• Greff Music Publishing  score published by
• Milan Records  soundtrack
• Next Element By Deluxe  digital intermediate
• Wildfire Studios  post-production sound services (as Wildfire Post)

Also Known As:

"Meek's Oregon 1845 Cutoff" - USA (long title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some mild violent content, brief language and smoking

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate #46670) | Canada:G (Ontario) | Ireland:PG | UK:PG | Portugal:M/12 | Germany:6 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

USA

Company:

Evenstar Films

Goofs:

Continuity: When Meek and Solomon ride off in pursuit of the Indian, Meek's hat blows off and he continues on without stopping. When the two men return some time later, with the bound Indian in tow, Meek is wearing his hat.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.14" (2011)

I blame him for saying he did.

Meek's Cutoff is directed by Kelly Reichardt and written by Jonathan Raymond. It stars Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, Will Paton, Paul Dano, Shirley Henderson, Neal Huff, Zoe Kazan and Tommy Nelson. Music is by Jeff Grace and cinematography by Chris Blauvelt. Story is based on an historical incident on the Oregon Trail in 1845, when frontier guide Stephen Meek (Greenwood) led a small band of settlers across the trail in search of richer pastures. For what was meant to be a two week journey, has now turned into five, and the settlers have this horrible feeling that Meek is lost. With no end to the journey in sight, low on food and water, and becoming ravaged by the terrain, the group starts to come apart at the seams.

Those familiar with Kelly Reichardt's work, Old Joy/Wendy & Lucy, will have some idea that Meek's Cutoff was never going to be a traditional Western picture. Often cited as a low-key, minimalist, director, Reichardt has stripped the Western right back to craft a beautifully shot film dealing with the hardships endured both physically and mentally of three families out on the Oregon Trail. Opening without dialogue for the opening seven minutes, where the first voice we hear is that of a child reading Tree of Life, tone is set from the off. We are asked to fill in the blanks ourselves, but it's evident that the group are in trouble, they already look haggard, afraid and near desperation. From here dialogue is as sparse as the terrain they traverse, the wagons crawl at pace, and so to does the film, a slow pace that remains throughout. The interest is all about the characters and their reactions to the situations that arise, no soft soaping or corner cutting, it's stark and uncompromising.

This is a different Wild West, the characters are etched into a parched, sun-bleached landscape, there's no romanticism here, just emotional turmoil, it's like the group are in purgatory, desperately trying to reach that Tree of Life on the other side of yet another obstacle. Shot in the 1.33 aspect ratio, this neatly puts the characters front and centre, most tellingly the women, who are the crux of Meek's Cutoff. This viewpoint gives the film a further lift out of the norm, deftly observing the family based woman's place in the West. One of a number of indelible moments in the piece sees the men move away from the women, who have to observe from distance as the men make the crucial decisions, left holding onto the last vestiges of the civilisation left behind, it says so much without actually doing much, something that Meek's Cutoff thrives on.

The acting is superb, with Williams, Paton and Greenwood leading the way. This collection of thespians really inhabit their roles, giving the film conviction. Conviction born out by Blauvelt's yellow and brown ochres. Grace's music is also sparse, but telling in a film that mostly deals in quiet conversations, or the natural sounds of wheels turning and tin cups clanking. It's finally detailed and the director wants us to not only examine said details, but also to be part of them. It has already proved to be a most divisive picture, something that is very understandable, even to someone like myself who has been beguiled by it. Where some see a slow crawl where nothing much happens, others see a rich human interest journey where the complete opposite is the case. Regardless of how it eventually works out for the viewer, it remains a film that serious Western fans simply have to see and evaluate. 9/10