Meek’s Cutoff is a radical movie. Its visual openness reflects the landscape through which  the three families wander, not sure where they are going. I whispered to my companion, Could this be the first time a man wouldn’t ask for directions? It’s not so awful that they are lost, although things seem quite dire. But it is that they are closed. For the moment, so are we. And therein is the metaphor.

Because we are lost and will not admit it, we refuse open up and ask for directions. What this movie does in its quiet and determined (if meandering) narrative development, is shift our focus from requiring a specific goal complete with a map, to settling into trust. What do we trust? Who do we trust? How do we come to trust?

I was never surprised that an Indian was captured to become their guide and replace the arrogant egotist who would not admit to being lost. His small-mindedness made him reluctant, hateful and condescending, unable to trust the native man who so beautifully, spiritually, and mysteriously reflected and blended into the land that spawned him. (I kept thinking the settlers’ clothes were too clean and organized for the months’ long camping ordeal they were on.) He didn’t immediately inspire the confidence to reassure us and the party of three families that everything would work out. This is not just because of the language barrier but because of the human membrane that separates us from ourselves and from our own instincts. And we hold onto our separateness so it stays that way.

But, sometimes, dignity trumps arrogance. The “Indian” (so credited) somehow felt his way through the landscape, singing to his ancestors, communicating with the divine, and trusting his instincts. He emerges as a powerful model, initially for Williams’ character who  was open enough to fall into trust. By the time the movie ends, astonishingly unresolved, we too have fallen into trust without any easy answers.

The point is not whether they find water or reach their still unknown destination but that they had achieved some grace, overcome bigotry and racial profiling, learned to surrender and, against the odds, survived their own perceived separateness.

Meek’s Cutoff (2010) Review by Carol Terry

Cast: Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, Will Patton, Zoe Kazan, Paul Dano, Shirley Henderson

Director: Kelly Reichardt

Running Time: 104 min.

Genre: Western

In the Swagger community, we’ve been discussing why it can be difficult for women to say “no” in situations where, by societal pressures, we feel obligated to say “yes.”  We also talked about why Disney Princesses are getting stronger, and yet maintain the unattainable symbols of beauty and success our children cannot possibly attain.  Much as I appreciate Disney’s latest attempt to make its princesses appear to be self-sufficient andstronger, I was a bit shocked when viewing the latest of Disney’s princess movies, Rapunzel.

My girls, ages 4 and 6, went to the movie with their Dad, and came home wide-eyed and breathless, as any good child would after seeing aDisney movie.  Immediately, though, I could sense something major happened.  My eldest said, “Mommy – you are not going to believe what happened in the movie!”  My youngest, “Mommy – you would not like what happened in this movie.”  I was amused and thought some dragon had been slayed or some prince spurned.  “Mommy – Flynn Rider cut off Rapunzel’s hair!”

Huh?

I didn’t get to see the movie for a few more months, but gathered from family and friends’ descriptions that Flynn had cut Rapunzel’s hair off for some reason.  When I saw the movie, my feminist alarm started to ding loudly when it came time to view the act.  I don’t want to spoil this for you, so if you haven’t seen the movie, fair warning – the next paragraphs contain spoilers.

Read more…

What is the role of rights for women in preventing overpopulation?  A new movie Mother: Caring our Way Out of the Population Dilemma addresses this question. It will be shown Tuesday, April 19 at 5 pm - University of Colorado – Boulder Campus (Hale 270).  The filmmakers say “Overpopulation is merely a symptom of an even larger problem – a “domination system” that for most of human history has glorified the domination of man over nature, man over child and man over woman.  To break this pattern, the film demonstrates that we must change our conquering mindset into a nurturing one. And the first step is to raise the status of women.”

Watch the trailer  http://www.motherthefilm.com/.