Freedman’s Film Forum: “Land”

Photo courtesy Joshua M. Freedman

Junior Joshua M. Freedman is excited to watch an early premiere of “Land” from his home on Mar. 4.

As, quite arguably, the least entertaining film I have seen during my time in quarantine, Robin Wright’s “Land” is the last film I would recommend for a high school audience.

Over the course of the pandemic, watching movies has been one of the activities that is responsible for creating an escape from the outside world. Films can also bring audience members closer together, whether it be friends watching a movie over Zoom, or family members enjoying a film in their living room.

However, I did not undergo any of the cordial feelings typically associated with a positive movie-watching experience while viewing “Land.” This is in part due to the fact that after spending months indoors without seeing friends, family members and teachers in-person, viewing a film where a character voluntarily decided to isolate themselves from the outside world was not entertaining in the slightest.

“Land” primarily revolves around Edee Mathis (Robin Wright), who moved from the heart of a bustling city to a small, run-down log cabin in the Rocky Mountains. After disposing all of her technology, the unforgiving environment she placed herself in serves as a barrier between her and the outside world.

The decision to produce a film that focuses on a single character resulted in an uncomfortable lack of dialogue, which only served to make the movie slow and tedious. This was disappointing, because based off of previous films Wright has partaken in (such as “Forrest Gump” and “The Princess Bride”), fans anticipated that she would have given herself more room to showcase her talents in a speaking role in a movie that she directed herself.

After analyzing the storyline of “Land,” I realized that there was an unbearable amount of clichés and predictable scenes that often come standard with the line of “finding one’s true self” movies that currently exist. Even the few forced moments of suspense fell flat, as well as all of the times that the film tries to appeal to the audiences’ emotions.

During the times of a world crisis like the one that the world is currently facing, it is crucial that all members of society come together to support one another. However, the message I took away from “Land” is that it is acceptable to run away from problems, as well as cast away everyone who attempts to offer help and support.

Perhaps the most unfortunate aspect of “Land” was how the natural scenery was not captured in a way that conveyed its beauty and majesticness. This movie had a $1 million budget, although the majority of it was spent on capturing scenes inside a dank cabin. The scenes that were filmed outside mostly contained trees and dirt paths, and when the mountain ranges were shown, the lighting and camera quality was subpar.

While I did not enjoy “Land” itself, I did take a particular liking to the soundtrack. Much of the music had a Celtic undertone, which was relaxing and pleasing. Nevertheless, this was not enough to change my view on this film

Although “Land” was not a movie that I enjoyed, please note that the opinions in this article are my own, and my attempt is not to deter you from watching it. This being said, “Land” was a barren movie that was ultimately arid and flat.