Film Review: Wind River

The directorial debut of Taylor Sheridan follows the gritty story of a hunter’s pursuit for the truth. The story takes place on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming where, in the blistering cold, a young woman’s body is found in the snow. The body is uncovered by Corey (Jeremy Renner) a local Wildlife Service Officer who tracks and kills animals on the reservation. With the help of Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen), an inexperienced FBI officer they work together to solve the mystery surrounding the girl's death.

Though the main focus of the film is a gruesome fatality, the most thought-provoking aspects are the references to the complex politics of Native American culture in the US. Albeit only surface level, it highlights some disturbing truths about the divisions that still exist within contemporary American society. However, the core of this film centers around the way in which we process grief, and the shaping effects it can have on a person’s character.

The opening of the film follows Cory visiting the Wind River reservation in order to hunt a group of mountain lions. But while tracking their prints, he is confronted with fresh human blood leading up the side of a mountain. The body he finds is that of 18-year old Natalie, his daughter’s best friend.

To help investigate, a young FBI Officer flies to the scene equally ill-equipped for the harsh conditions and the gory circumstances surrounding the death. Out of her depth, she enlists Cory’s tracking skills, which determine the body to have been raped, and assaulted miles away from where it was found.

We learn that for Corey, the details surrounding the death are far closer to home than others understand. His own daughter was found years earlier under similar circumstances, with no answers as to why this happened. As a friend of his late daughter, Corey’s pursuit of the investigation acts as a coping mechanism for his own pain, his hunt for answers is a hunt for peace within himself.

Perhaps one of the most interesting parts of this film is its use of nature as a metaphor. The sweeping birds-eye shots of the brutal terrain and unforgiving climate only enhance the feeling of the characters struggle to find out the truth. The difficulty the characters face navigating the physical surroundings strongly connects to Cory’s difficulty navigating his own emotional turmoil and the never-ending guilt he feels over his own daughter's disappearance.

This film shines a light on the reality of bereavement and the part that vengeance has to play in the process of healing. Although it only touches briefly on the issues surrounding Native American reservations, it does aim to put a spotlight on the modern injustices that take place against Native American women. This is shown most clearly in the end credits of the film, which state that while missing person stats are compiled for every other race demographic, none currently exist for Native American women.

Wind River was an intense and bleak look into death, but for the thriller genre contains much more emotional depth than one would normally expect. This film is a heavy and revealing look into violent crime, which although lacking energy at times, is a meaningful and sobering watch.