Wind River is a monumental piece of film history for more than one reason. It is not only Taylor Sheridan’s first directorial feature film but also The Weinstein Company’s last movie before going defunct in 2018. As for the film itself, it puts every generic Hollywood movie to shame on the basis of its plot, characters, setting, directorial prowess, and socio-political themes.
Sheridan has gained credibility among fans and critics alike for unapologetically shedding light on difficult subjects that Hollywood usually balks at. While he already has more than a dozen projects under his belt as a screenwriter in just a decade, the frontier trilogy remains Sheridan’s best work to date.
Elizabeth Olsen goes above and beyond for Wind River
With incredibly challenging topics to broach, Wind River started on a difficult journey that left its audience feeling disturbed and unraveled by the end. Although one would argue that a film’s sole purpose is to move the audience or shock them into an experience beyond their comfort zone, Taylor Sheridan‘s work has always been able to do that without provoking dissent and negative reception from the fans.
With an incredible grasp over every thread of the plot, Sheridan’s script is a masterclass in screenwriting, and his presence on set is always grounding for the cast and crew. Even for a seasoned actress like Elizabeth Olsen, the script of Wind River had such an impact that she ended up focusing just as much on the physical aspects of her character as much as the dialogue, story, and plot.
Talking to Collider about her intensive training to prepare for her role, Olsen revealed:
I trained a long time, I think it’s like six months, or three months of the gun and six months of self-defense and grappling and three months training for gun work with a former law enforcement officer. Then I did gun work in Utah with a former Green Beret.
Alongside her Marvel co-star Jeremy Renner, Gil Birmingham, Kelsey Asbille, and Jon Bernthal, Elizabeth Olsen delivered a powerful and moving performance that leaves a jarring aftereffect on the viewers, even on rewatch.
Elizabeth Olsen recalls working with Taylor Sheridan
Taylor Sheridan has always been an exceptional director with an incredible penchant for telling original stories. Devoid of flowery subtext and unnecessary dialogue, Sheridan’s work has always been an emotionally rich and condensed narrative that keeps the audience hooked from start to finish.
Wind River – the third of his frontier trilogy that includes Sicario and Hell or High Water – is perhaps the most harrowing, morally complicated, and yet, poignant of all his movies and television series. Working on a film such as this was bound to have an impact on its cast, especially with actors who were used to filming on set under less grueling conditions.
Elizabeth Olsen, who had had as much experience in indie dramas as in superhero blockbusters, recalled her experience filming with Taylor Sheridan in an interview with Collider:
You would never know. I’ve worked with directors whose film it’s not their first time and they don’t have the same kind of handle on the material or the crew as Taylor does. You walk onto the set with Taylor, you know who’s running things, and that’s always really important in a director.
Wind River currently holds an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and earned $44.9 million worldwide on a budget of $11 million (via The Numbers).
Wind River is available to stream on Paramount+.
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