Wind River review

Wind River is written and directed by Taylor Sheridan, and is about a young FBI agent brought to a native reserve to investigate the death of a teenager.

I have become a fan of Sheridan's writing thanks to this, Sicario, and Hell or High Water. They are all great films with very smart writing. Of his films, Wind River is probably the hardest to watch, which is no small feat given the content in Sicario.

The uncomfortable nature of the film comes from the unpleasant setting. These reserves are given to Native Americans, despite many of them being places nobody should be made to live. The setting is greatly used to make the situation more intense, as the freezing temperature and snowy landscape make the investigation more difficult. There are also two very tough to watch scenes which are essential to the film, even if they weren't pleasant.

Also essential are the characters played by Elizabeth Olsen and Jeremy Renner. Olson is the inexperienced, unprepared FBI agent who is brought in because she was the closest to the location of the murder. Despite her short tenure at her job, she remains competent and does her best to resolve the mystery of the girl's death. The real focus is on Jeremy Renner's hunter, who is helping with the case due to his knowledge of the area. He has one of the best character arcs I've seen in a film this year. It is also one of Renner's best performances in a film. I must also mention Gil Birmingham, who is absolutely terrific as a grieving father. In fact, all the casting for the film is very good.

There is a criticism about the film that I'm going to address: in a film set in a Native American reservation, revolving around the death of a native girl, the main character is played by Jeremy Renner, a white guy. I can understand this, but at the same time, the film is written by the white Taylor Sheridan, an outsider to this community, who is connected socially, which is the same for Renner's character. For this reason, I don't have a problem with this problem, as Sheridan is doing what many writers do; he wrote what he knew.

In short: Wind River is one of the most effecting films of this year.