Coming to grips with the past is the centerpiece of Bleecker Street’s family drama Montana Story. Writing and directing duo Scott McGehee and David Siegel collaborate again for the film, which I must warn viewers is a slow-moving drama.
The film tells the story of two estranged siblings Erin (Haley Lu Richardson) and Cal (Owen Teague), returning home to the sprawling ranch they once knew and loved, confronting a deep and bitter family legacy against a mythic American backdrop.
Montana Story introduces Cal first in a standard setup that screams favorite son. The family patriarch is bedridden in the living room and under the care of hospice nurse Ace (Gilbert Owuor) and a family friend Valentia (Kimberly Guerrero). Cal wants his father to pass away peacefully, take care of his dad’s creditors and move on with his life. Cal decides the best bet is to sell Mr. T, a twenty-five-year-old black stallion with arthritis, on advice from the bank.
Things twist when Erin shows back up after a septet stint living in upstate New York. For reasons easy to guess, Erin left Montana a while back after a harrowing incident with her father. Since Cal stood by helplessly, Erin washed her hands of any relationship with him. When Erin learns of Cal’s plans to sell Mr. T, she insists the horse come back to New York with her. Thus begins a road trip between the two and hopefully some much-needed healing.
As I alluded to earlier in my review, Montana Story is a slow-moving drama. The film is very dialogue-driven, with very few happy moments in the movie. The writers and directors avoid typical tropes of having Owen and Erin reconnected through road trip karaoke or giving each other dating advice. In addition, while the set up is there, the script never turns Ace (Gilbert Owuor) into a magical black man who can cure the characters’ problems.
In the lead roles of Erin & Cal, both Haley Lu Richardson and Owen Teague commit to their performances. Both actors give a performance that will lead to bigger and better things as the acting comes across natural. However, this is not the type of movie that screams mainstream despite the strong acting. Yes, the cinematography is gorgeous, and there are some great shots of The Treasure State. Still, like Nomadland, Montana Story is a movie with a niche audience who will love it. In contrast, others will question why the film was ever greenlit.
Final Grade: C
Montana Story is in theaters now
After an eight-year hiatus, cult director Eli Craig returns to the horror-comedy genre with his latest film, “Clown in a Cornfield,” from RLJE Films.
First-time director Felipe Vargas explores the consequences of forgetting one’s roots in the chilling horror film “Rosario,” produced by Highland Film Group and Muchio Mass Media. Alan Trezza wrote the screenplay, which begins with our titular character, a Mexican immigrant, receiving her first communion. After a spooky incident involving her eerie grandmother, it becomes evident that Rosario is destined to move on when she grows older.
Director Duncan Skiles taps into the buddy pic genre for his feature debut in “Neighborhood Watch” from RJLE Films. Simon (Jack Quaid) is a young man grappling with mental illness who becomes convinced that he has witnessed an abduction. When he reports it to the police, and they refuse to believe him, he reluctantly seeks the help of his neighbor Ed (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a jaded, retired security guard with a troubled past. As the unlikely duo delves deeper into the mystery, their pursuit of the truth forces them to confront the disappearance’s dark secrets and the unspoken wounds that haunt them.