Meek's Cutoff (2010)

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

Director:

Kelly Reichardt

Writer:

Jonathan Raymond (screenplay) (as Jon Raymond)

Stars:

Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, Paul Dano

7 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

The year is 1845, the earliest days of the Oregon Trail, and a wagon team of three families has hired the mountain man Stephen Meek to guide them over the Cascade Mountains. Claiming to know a short cut, Meek leads the group on an unmarked path across the high plain desert, only to become lost in the dry rock and sage. Over the coming days, the emigrants must face the scourges of hunger, thirst and their own lack of faith in each other's instincts for survival. When a Native American wanderer crosses their path, the emigrants are torn between their trust in a guide who has proven himself unreliable and a man who has always been seen as the natural enemy.

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Plot Keywords:

blackfoot indian | bucket | cayuse indian | horseback riding | bible | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Thriller | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan played a couple again two years later in Ruby Sparks (2012).

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jimmy White: [reading from Genesis] In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.

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Connections

Referenced in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Classics from the Vault: Changing Sex Roles (2011)

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Soundtracks

Nearer, My God, To Thee
(uncredited)
Written by Sarah F. Adams and Lowell Mason
Performed by Neal Huff

User Reviews

More than artistic vision. Reality of the west.

What shines; There are a lot of interesting tricks pulled by the director that you haven't seen before. At times I was very shocked and amazed at the reality of what these people went through on the Oregon Trial.

What blinds; One word. Slow. besides that your not going to find any happy or eccentrically gay characters here. The characters are pretty basic but Michell Williams and Will Patton are enjoyable along with the rest of the cast.

I gave this film a 9. The average American won't agree but if you're in to artistic movies, good acting, and nice aura based movies you will enjoy this.

I always enjoy this style film which is similar to There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men.

Sum= A MOVIE YOU WILL THINK ABOUT FOR DAYS.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 April 2011 (UK)

Also Known As:

Meek's Oregon 1845 Cutoff

Filming Locations:

Oregon, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,024, 10 April 2011

Gross USA:

$977,772

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,205,257

Company Credits

Production Co:

Evenstar Films, Film Science, Harmony Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1