Michelle Williams hits the Oregon Trail in "Meek's Cutoff"

I can't express in words how excited I am about "Meek's Cutoff," the new film from Kelly Reichardt ("Old Joy," "Wendy and Lucy") that chronicles the doomed journey of a group of young families traveling west together on the Oregon Trail in the 19th century.  For reasons of survival, the group hires charasmatic wilderness guide Meek (Bruce Greenwood) to lead them safely over the Cascade Mountains and on into Oregon Territory where a new life in American Promised Land awaits them.

The film's title comes from the botched shortcut that Meek assured the settlers would lead them around the infamous wild terrain of Barlow Pass, only to end up marooned off trail with mounting suspicions of their leader and increasing desperation that hope is running out. "Meek's Cutoff" was quietly added to the line-up at this year's Venice International Film Festival just a few weeks ago, stirring up hope for a quick pick-up by a boutique indie distributor despite a lack of screenings-based buzz.  Now that Reichardt and "Meek's Cutoff" are drawing comparisons to Steinbeck and Malick, I'd say it's safe to sound the trumpets!

Michelle Williams appeared in virtually every scene of Reichardt's last film, the spare and harrowing girl-and-her-dog tragedy "Wendy and Lucy," garnering arguably the best reviews of her young career thus far (her well-deserved Oscar nomination for "Brokeback Mountain" being the obvious competition for bragging rights). While it remains to be seen if "Meek's Cutoff" will land a distributor and be released by year's end in time for awards consideration, Williams is certainly receiving the lion's share of performance kudos in early reviews.

Stephanie Zacharek (recently relocated from her longtime critic gig at Salon.com to newly revived Movieline) is one of many making mention of the largely unspoken nature of Williams' nevertheless fiercely expressive performance. "When she glowers at him from beneath that sunbonnet, hoo boy, she means business." She also dismisses the general consensus out of Venice that Natalie Portman's "Black Swan" performance is the festival's most Oscar-worthy: "Williams, in this determinedly un-diva-like role, is the one for me.....Williams underplays everything here: She’s not your stock flinty pioneer wife, with a nice, straight line for a mouth — all of her resolve, all of her common sense, comes from within, belying the sweet softness of her features. Meek’s Cutoff is Reichardt’s version of how the west was won, and with Williams’ help, she makes a hell of a case for the idea that it wasn’t just cowboy hats that built this country, but sunbonnets too."

In any case, look for Williams to figure prominently in this year's Oscar race for Best Actress. The Weinstein Company picked up Sundance sensation "Blue Valentine," which follows Ryan Gosling and Williams as a young couple from their the inception of their optimistic youthful romance all the way to the bitter end of their divorce, and will release the film just in the knick of time on December 31 in NY/LA before expanding slowly throughout the winter in concordance with Oscar buzz.

Michelle Williams, gorgeous as ever in Venice last week to promote "Meek's Cutoff"

(Who knew back in the 90s that Jen would emerge as "Dawson's Creek MVP? Dawson is doing guest spots on "Ugly Betty," Pacey is on Fox's TV series "Fringe," Joey married Tom Cruise and her career has stalled ever since, while Jen died in the series finale only to be reincarnated as one of the best actresses of her generation. Must have been Gram's wise counsel during her upbringing.)

While "Wendy and Lucy" was simply too much of a downer for me to love, it was an excellent little film (like "Old Joy," Reichardt shot "Wendy" in and around Portland), one that showcased both Williams' ability to carry a picture squarely on her shoulders and that Reichardt's austere, naturalistic cinematic talent was no fluke after the breathtaking simplicity she displayed in 2007's indie "Old Joy."  Nothing much happens, plot-wise, in either film (particularly "Old Joy," whose plot amounts to nothing more two guys driving to Bagby hot springs, hanging out in the woods, and returning to Portland), but therein lies Reichardt's greatest strengths as a director.  Like the great Terrence Malick, my absolute favorite director, Reichardt lets the natural surroundings in each and every scene do most of the talking, emphasizing the frustrations and desires of her characters along with larger implications of modern society as contrasted against the chaos and order of the natural world. Few projects have thrilled me more than the idea of Reichardt taking on the Oregon Trail, so all this good word about "Meek's Cutoff" really makes my day.

Kelly Reichardt in action

I'll leave the last word to Justin Chang, summarizing the picture in his Variety review:
"Based on a true story and loosely inspired by diaries kept by women at the time, Jon Raymond's lean script never emphasizes any modern-day parallels, though deeper allegorical readings are there for the taking," suggests Chang. "If Wendy and Lucy expressed quiet anguish for the plight of America's poor and dispossessed, Meek's Cutoff confronts us with a scenario of manifest destiny at a moral crossroads, forcing its characters — and the viewer — to determine whether the glaring, dark-skinned outsider or the blustering white leader poses the greater threat. This conundrum is sustained up until an ending that will frustrate some, but for those in step with the filmmakers' intentions, it's clear the film could end in no other way."