Meek’s Cutoff

The film opens with a river crossing. Clothing and food must not touch the raging water; they should be carried with both hands above the head to keep them dry. Meek’s Cutoff tells the story of three pioneer families' journey across the Oregon plains in 1845, in search of a better life in the West. They hire Stephen Meek, a quick-tempered trapper, to lead them toward this future. As the journey progresses, the route becomes increasingly hard to follow. Lost, the group soon runs out of water. One day, the caravan spots a lone Native American man in the distance. The men of the group capture him. Does he know where to find water? How to gain his trust despite the power imbalance? The character of Emily, one of the three women in the wagon train (Michelle Williams in a masterful performance), becomes the voice that champions this man's rights to his land, and to what it holds. Based on a true story, this unorthodox western depicts the dynamics of a community grappling with a hostile yet breathtakingly beautiful nature.
 
Dimitri de Preux

1994 – River of Grass
1999 – Ode
2002 – Then a Year
2004 – Travis
2006 – Old Joy
2008 – Wendy and Lucy
2010 – Meek’s Cutoff
2013 – Night Moves
2016 – Certain Women
2019 – First Cow
2019 – Owl
2021 – Bronx, New York, Novembre 2019
2021 – Cal State Long Beach, CA, Janvier 2020
2022 – Showing Up
2025 – The Mastermind