A New Generation of Westerns for Everyone

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MOVIE REVIEW
Montana Story
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Genre: Drama
Year Released: 2021 (Toronto International Film Festival,) 2022 (Wide release)
Runtime: 1h 53m
Director(s): Scott McGehee, David Siegel
Writer(s): Scott McGehee, David Siegel
Cast: Haley Lu Richardson, Owen Teague, Gilbert Owuor, Kimberly Guerrero, Asivak Koostachin, Eugene Brave Rock, Rob Story, John Ludin, and Kate Britton
Where To Watch: In select theaters on May 13

Traditionally speaking, I’m not a massive fan of the Western genre. I don’t dislike them all, but I could never connect to a lot of the older cliched ones (Henry Fonda, Gary Cooper, John Wayne, etc.) I found an entire generation of “new” westerns or neo-western that adopts the characters, themes, and sometimes settings into the modern-day. I have been introduced to my fondness for the genre thanks mainly to writer/director Taylor Sheridan (SICARIO, HELL OR HIGH WATER, WIND RIVER). It seems as though the combo of Scott McGehee and David Siegel will now join my ranks of some of the best.

As well-written and directed as the film was, the piece that put it all together for me was Haley Lu Richardson (FIVE FEET APART, THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN, SPLIT) as she took this role and ran with it, making it her own. I’ve always been impressed with her ability to steal the screen, and she owned this one. It’s not often that an onscreen performance gives me chills, but I bought into this story 110%. I felt so invested in the strained relationship between brother and sister, Owen Teague (IT, BLOODLINE) played Richardson’s brother, and you could cut the tension on-screen with a knife.

I’d be amiss if I didn’t mention the cinematography by Giles Nuttgens, who was director of photography on HELL OR HIGH WATER. This connection wasn’t lost on me as both of these films have incredible sprawling desert scenes that have you lost in the magnitude of the scene while only making the story unfolding in front of you more robust.

While reading up on the film, I noticed a critic who took issue with its pacing; he commented, “Two excellent young performers hold enough of it together, but a languid pace that feels almost designed to mimic the speed of life in Big Sky Country….” I couldn’t disagree more. Not that the film wasn’t a slow burn, but I felt it added to the story, showing the anguish and issues within the sibling's relationship and the battle the two face with their father.

Thanks to Bleecker Street and Ginsberg Libby for allowing me to screen this fascinating film.

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