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Wind River is one of those challenging films to watch but is essential for many reasons. Aside from the gripping murder mystery, the high caliber acting, and the eerie as hell music, its writing is some of the sharpest and most on-point, often challenging to find anywhere else. In my humble opinion, it is a crime that this film was never nominated for any Oscars nor received as much recognition as it genuinely deserves. And yes, I blame all of that on the slimy and repugnant actions of one of the worst excuses for a human being to ever walk the Earth, Harvey Weinstein.
For those who don't know or need a quick refresher, Harvey Weinstein was a movie producer and owner of The Weinstein Company, a production company with several memorable titles under its belt, such as The Kings Speach and Butter. Among other things, Weinstein was notorious for making outrageous demands of his movies and their pending releases. For example, he would often demand changes be made for seemingly no reason other than he had the power to demand it. Plus, he often deliberately held movies back from full releases, mostly to try and build up hype for award season. Which, at times, seemed to work.
Then, in 2017, right around the time Wind River was making its theatrical run, the news spread of Weinstein's crimes against women, and he was promptly charged and exiled from the cinema business world. And while he should forever be punished for his heinous and despicable acts, I believe he is wholeheartedly to blame for Wind River seemingly being ignored by the Acadamy, wrongfully so. And if you have a moment, I will gladly explain why.
The story follows a hunter named Cory (Jeremy Renner), who stumbles upon a dead body in the snow-filled Wyoming mountains. The victim turns out to be the daughter of his friend and Reservation resident. Seeking external assistance to investigate the case, the FBI sends a willing but ill experienced agent named Jane (Elizabeth Olson) to assist in the case. The first sign of problems shows up in the form of Jane's lack of preparation for the cold climate, arriving without any cold-weather gear. Further complicating matters is a lack of a designated task force (or any kind of proper investigations unit) despite the shocking overabundance of missing person cases reported on the Reservation regularly. With no backup or further assistance to speak of, Jane and Cory, along with the Reservation officer Ben (Graham Greene), must solve the mystery and bring the perpetrators to justice. Be it traditional or old-fashioned.
As I said, Wind River is a challenging film to watch, primarily due to its unfortunate and disturbing subject matter. It's one of those cases where a relevant story needs to be told to raise awareness and inspire action. It succeeds rather effectively by providing a compelling mystery with three-dimensional characters, sharp dialogue, and well-executed moments of tension. While it may not be one of those films that can be enjoyed regularly, it is well-crafted enough to warrant the occasional rewatch. And, in my opinion, more so than the similar film that did make it to the Oscars.
Wind River was released in August of 2017. Later that December saw the release of Martin McDonagh's semi-comedic drama, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which was nominated for seven Oscars (including Best Picture) and won Best Leading Actress (Frances McDorman) and Best Supporting Actor (Sam Rockwell). While both films tackle the unfortunate state of the mistreatment of women and lack of proper justice, in my humble opinion, Wind River hits the point right out of the park, whereas Three Billboards hits a solid double at best.
Why is this, you may ask? One word: focus.
Wind River had at least one crucial point about the human condition and drove that point home with expert precision and absolute conviction. Three Billboards appeared to have one central point but then spent a big chunk of the runtime deviating to several other points for no narratively sound reason, other than the writer wanted to vent about aspects of modern culture he finds annoying or unappealing. Suppose Wind River is akin to a respected journalist providing vital information of an unfortunate situation engagingly. In that case, Three Billboards is akin to a politically charged stand-up comedian trying to moonlight as a philosophy professor. This is not to say that Three Billboards doesn't possess an impact with its story, just that it's not as well-thought-out as it could have been, at least to me.
Wind River is one of the most underrated and under-discussed films of the 21st century. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend doing so. Just be sure to watch something light-hearted afterward.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.
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