Meek’s Cutoff

In the early days of the Oregon Trail, three families set out in 1845, heading toward the West Coast. They hire the seasoned guide Meek, who claims to know a shortcut but instead leads them astray into the desert. As the months pass, the pioneers grapple with unforgiving weather, unfamiliar terrain, illness, exhaustion, hunger, and the growing scarcity of water. Doubts about their decision begin to haunt them, as they lose trust not only in their guide but in themselves. When they encounter a Native American, they face a crucial choice: to trust this stranger from a different culture, whom they’ve been taught to fear, or stick with their failed guide. Kelly Reichardt's anti-western stands as one of her finest works, offering a grounded and authentic portrayal of pioneer life. In contrast to the grand myth-making of traditional westerns, Reichardt hones in on the intimate, everyday struggles of the women, who face the harshness of the trail with quiet determination. The commitment to authenticity extended to the set, where actors wore the same clothes throughout the shoot, mirroring the hardships of their characters.