"Montana Story" - Review
Montana Story is a quiet exploration of family trauma set in the American west. Two estranged siblings, Cal (Owen Teague) and Erin (Haley Lu Richardson), have come home to see their father, who has fallen into a coma. Cal lives in nearby Cheyenne, while Erin lives in upstate New York. The two haven’t spoken since an event within the family irrevocably split them seven years ago.
Aside from dealing with their father’s health, Cal must figure out what to do with the family ranch. He’s been forced to declare bankruptcy and must sell off the last remaining family assets. That includes the ranch itself, his deceased mother’s car, and Erin’s beloved, but very old horse. This decision doesn’t sit well with Erin, and she makes plans to take her horse across the country to her home in New York. It’s irrational, but Erin is dealing with the trauma of her father’s illness and is finding any way she can to regain a sense of control.
Montana Story has all the ingredients needed to create an atmosphere that is simmering with tension. It should be relatively easy, given the proven talents of Richardson and Teague. Richardson especially has built her career on a string of quietly devastating performances in films like Columbus and After Yang. Even in Montana Story, where the script doesn’t give her a fully-formed character, Richardson elevates the quality of the movie. However, despite her best efforts, the film is entirely devoid of tension. The audience knows that something their father did fractured the relationship between Cal and Erin, yet the movie doesn’t linger on their awkwardness. It actively avoids having the siblings talk about that traumatic event in a way that’s not exposition until the last twenty minutes. The rest of the film is made up of meandering scenes that lack substance and purpose.
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Thematically, Montana Story is nothing new. It’s the same sort of family drama that has been told time and again. Only this time, it lacks the tension that is essential to making this movie amount to more than just a glimpse of a family’s home videos. Teague and Richardson are two young, thoughtful, and engaging performers who are more than able to bear a heavier burden than Montana Story asked of them.
The most stunning aspect of the film is the natural scenery of Montana. The sparse, strikingly empty landscape adds to the isolation and loneliness the characters are feeling. The starkness of the world Erin and Cal are living in is gorgeous. Montana Story is an expected tale of family trauma that is enjoyable, but leaves the audience wishing it had more substance.
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