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Taylor Sheridan’s directing debut, Wind River (2017), is a harrowing story of murder, rape and legal loopholes that exist on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. With Sheridan’s previous screenwriting projects, Sicario (2015) and Hell or High Water (2016), the films have been described by Sheridan as a neo-Western “frontier trilogy.” Overlapping themes are prevalent across the three, namely the failure of a father to protect or provide for those he cares about.
The film begins with a scene of a young woman running through the snow on an eerie night. The peaceful poem that is being read aloud is jarringly juxtaposed with her panicked sobs and terror. The next day, the woman’s body is discovered by Wildlife Service Agent Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner). He identifies her as 18-year-old Natalie Hanson. Having lost a daughter under similar circumstances, it hits Lambert hard. FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) is enlisted to investigate on the possibility of homicide. Although her autopsy reveals she was both sexually and physically assaulted, the medical examiner cannot verify that she was in fact murdered — her cause of death is cited as a pulmonary hemorrhage — and so Banner cannot enlist further help from the FBI unit. Regardless, Banner decides to continue the investigation with help from Lambert and the Tribal Police Chief, Ben (Graham Greene).
The crime thriller is inspired by a huge social issue that many are not aware of: Native American tribal courts currently do not have the power to prosecute a non-Native for physical or sexual assault, if the event occurs on tribal land. In researching background information in preparation for the film, Sheridan was unable to obtain a statistic for the number of Native American women who are missing, which inevitably became a central element of the story. Sheridan’s film works to shed light on these issues, aided by a gripping story and powerful performances.
Renner is great as the intuitive and compassionate Lambert. As his character is reminded of his daughter’s death, we see his vulnerability and frustration in what happened to his once perfect family who have now fallen apart. “There’s no luck here, just survivors,” he says to Banner. This is a man who has seen injustice and dealt with the repercussions. He’s angry but calm. This is apparent when he assures Natalie’s grieving father (Gil Birmingham) that he will find who did this. Banner, on the other hand, while fiesty, is obviously out of her depth on this case. Her emotional journey is portrayed skillfully by Olsen and any helplessness depicted at the beginning of the film is quickly shattered as she faces the deadly culprits, culture clashes and snow head on.
It’s rare to find a modern day thriller or crime drama that isn’t glamorised or sensationalised to some extent; it’s also rare to find one that handles cultural issues in such a sensitive way. Sheridan’s knowledge of Native peoples and Western reservation life is vividly apparent. Wind River is a riveting watch and carries a message that ignites your curiosity.
