Wind River (2017)

One of my favorite movies of all time and a movie you must see before you die. It's a gritty and dark movie that doesn't pull any of its punches while still being able to maintain a sense of beauty. The movie takes on a topic not discussed nearly enough in modern media with the injustices faced against First Nations people.

The movie begins with a raped First Nations woman found barefoot and 6 miles from civilization. An FBI agent (Olsen) is sent out to Wyoming to investigate and employ the help of a hunter (Renner) to track down those responsible.

To start, the score is beautiful, utilizing First Nation hymns very subtly with a sort of whispering that is not eery but beautiful. Yet when things get intense as does the music. The score becomes jarring and makes situations incredibly tense. It's not jarring enough to pull you out of the moment but feels perfect where it is.

The pacing in this movie is also excellent and the second act is masterfully done. The tension reaches tenfold when a Mexican standoff explodes as the local policemen feel themselves become surrounded by the oil security team who is responsible for the killing of the victim and her boyfriend. The score brilliantly initiates the viewer's adrenaline as we sit at the edge of our seats waiting for what's about to erupt. The shootout is incredibly fast and realistic as bullets fly. The action is tight and realistic and there are no badass superhero moments.

The subversion of tropes is also evident when we meet the boyfriend of the victim in a flashback. Our immediate expectations suggest that he is a white older man who may be responsible for what takes place yet instead we get the opposite. As the security team begins to surround her, he fights them off as she runs off into the cold. This scene is truly shocking as it is brutal depicting a horrifying incident play out. Bad things happen to good people.

The acting on both sides is phenomenal as we see the pain behind Renner's eyes as he speaks to the man who is responsible for the raping of the First Nations woman. As he screams into the cold, "I raped her", he looks away with visible pain in his face. He lets the man go into the freezing cold, barefoot, who makes it 500 feet before collapsing and dying. This scene is one of the best I have ever seen with a beautiful score, stunning cinematography, and amazing acting on both parties. The antagonist (James Jordan) is so well played that you truly despise him. The movie treats the victim like a hero and the antagonist like a coward.

With seldom lines throughout and the principle, "Show don't tell" strongly in effect, one of my favorite lines in cinema history originates from this movie. The line takes place when Renner speaks to the father of the victim at the end of the movie, the man asks him, "How did he go out?" "With a whimper".  It ends with the two grieving fathers as both have lost a daughter to the horrifying realities of First Nation treatment.

"Wind River" covers some very heavy topics not discussed at all in Hollywood. It serves as a message of awareness to the way First Nations people, especially women, are treated and is the perfect movie to bring about change in society. With no missing person statistics on First Nations women, this movie brings about the need for such action to take place. What is most horrifying is that although this movie is a work of fiction, events like these are not uncommon in rural America. The director, Taylor Sheridan, does a masterful job of tackling this heavy message. This movie is a shining example of how Hollywood should cast more First Nations people and how popular media can really raise awareness of pressing issues in society. I give this movie a 9 out of 10 and is a must-watch.

- GL

9 / 10

(Above) My favourite shot:

(Below) Three runners up: