‘East of Wall’ is slightly deficient in horse power
For a rookie writer-director, Kate Beecroft displays promise with her cowgirl-centric “East of Wall.” But she’s not quite there yet in her bid to be the next Chloé Zhou, the Oscar-winning director (“Nomadland”) whose debut film, “The Rider,” was an obvious influence. Both films set their tales of tragedy and triumph in the harsh landscape of South Dakota’s Badlands, featuring a host of amateur actors playing fictionalized versions of themselves, each battling poverty while struggling to maintain a dying way of life.
But where “The Rider” felt wholly original and heartfelt, “East of Wall” plays like a weak immitation incapable of matching the raw emotional power of Zhou’s film. The performances, though, are solid, led by real-life mother-daughter equestrians Tabatha and Porshia Zimiga. Both are naturals in front of the camera, convincingly portraying young women grieving the death of Porshia’s stepdad, John, in vastly disparate ways.
Porshia is visibly shattered, not to mention pissed off that Mom never even mentions John’s name, refusing to acknowledge that her lover is gone. That widening divide is the movie’s lifeblood. But Beecroft dilutes it by wedging in a character study of forsaken teens restored by Tabatha in much the same way she rescues abused and damaged horses. The goal is to make them feel useful and valuable again by instilling confidence and dignity through discipline and tough love.
You’re struck by Tabatha’s ability to bring out the best in her “kids” almost as much as you’re intrigued by her plethora of tattoos and punky blonde hairdo. But her success with children and horses is countered by her failures with men. She’s divorced from the father of Porshia and Skylar (Wyatt Mansfield). And John’s death has left her to raise their 3-year-old, Stetson (Stetson Neumann), alone, albeit with an assist from her new guy, Clay (Clay Patenaude), and the seven teens to whom she serves as de facto mother.
That’s a lot of characters. And I didn’t even mention Tabatha’s hard-drinking, chain-smoking mama, Tracey (Jennifer Ehle), or the loaded, fancy-pants Texan, Roy Waters (Scoot McNairy), who’s taken a shine to both Tabatha’s ranch and her trick-riding daughter. Trying to keep track of all of them becomes a chore, because with few exceptions, it’s hard to tell one from the other. Besides Porshia, the only teen to make an impression is Jesse Thorson as Jesse, the newest member of the family.
The others are so lacking in depth that you’d be hard-pressed to remember their names. Heck, even Jesse, craving stability in the aftermath of his dad’s imprisonment, barely registers. Strange since his is one of the issues weighing heaviest on Tabatha’s mind as she fights to become his legal guardian while also toiling to keep her growing brood fed. Beecroft overlooks the opportunity to capitalize on her film’s chief asset, which is the relationships between Tracey, Tabatha and Porshia, three generations of cowgirls navigating their way in what is generally considered a man’s world.
You’re drawn to the trio and their concern for each other’s well-being in the wake of John’s recent death. The rest is merely excess, particularly a subplot concerning a bid by the monied Roy, dealing with grief himself, to buy the ranch and make Tabatha his business partner. Like Jesse’s storyline, it’s sparse and unabsorbing, despite an affecting turn by McNairy, resembling a young Richard Petty with his impressive goatee and snazzy cowboy hat.
What saves the film is the eye-popping cinematography by Austin Shelton, who establishes a strong sense of place by contrasting the flat and barren expanse of Tabatha’s ranch just outside the town of Wall with spectacular drone shots of the Badlands’ buttes and pinacles. The rugged, grooved terrain, Porshia informs us in one of her many narrative voiceovers, was formed when the ocean receded thousands of years ago.
Only slightly less impactful are the performances by the four leads, led by the Zimigas, who more than hold their own opposite the cast’s only two pros, Ehle and McNairy. You only wish Beecroft had taken better advantage. Instead, she leans too heavily on melodrama and ponderous shots of horses galloping over the plains.
If she truly wishes to follow in Zhou’s footsteps, she needs to up her game by being more gritty and gutsy, and less sentimental. But like I said, there’s enough to “East of Wall” to signify inherent talent and a hint of Beecroft’s rapport with actors, especially those new to the profession. But like the majestic wild horses stealing the show, she’s going to need a bit of wrangling.
Movie review
East of Wall
Rated: Not rated
Cast: Tabatha Zimiga, Porshia Zimiga, Scoot McNairy, Jennifer Ehle and Jesse Thorson
Director: Kate Beecroft
Writer: Kate Beecroft
Runtime: 97 minutes
Where: In theaters Aug. 15
Grade: B-
