East of Wall

We saw "East of Wall" last night in a "Screen Unseen" showing. Wasn't sure what I was watching for the first 5 minutes or so but after that I was pulled into the lives of these characters. Fantastic script and direction by Kate Beecroft. And, the acting, well it almost seemed like they were just being themselves! (Hint: watch the acting credits!) And my lord, the horsemanship... these young women can RIDE!!!

Still grieving the loss of her husband, Tabatha is struggling to keep her ranch afloat while managing her children and the other children she has opened her home to. The tables turn when an outsider offers her a way out, forcing her to re-evaluate her outlook and priorities.

An intriguing movie with potential and beautiful horses. There is one main story, with many different tangents, but none of them are given much detail or background. Most of the details of the stories are inferred based on the minimal dialogue. The one hour and thirty-seven minute runtime feels longer due to the slow pace of the movie and the dialogue being broken up by beautiful scenic shots and horse riding. It has the potential to be worth a stream.

Boyhood meets Cowgirl Power meets Chloé Zhao's "The Rider"! How anyone who loves humanity, horses, and nature could not love this gorgeous docudrama, I'll never understand. An extended family of young and younger people, mostly female, fight through the daily challenges of managing a horse ranch in the Badlands area of South Dakota, somewhere East of Wall.

They seek to combine fact and fiction to tell their unique story in unique ways, all on a shoestring budget with some amateur actors playing themselves. Three years of video footage and a mere twenty four days of low budget shooting later, what could go wrong?

But more importantly, what could go right? Apparently an awful lot because audiences don't hand out heartfelt standing ovations at Sundance festivals like children's candy. With many tears flowing the audience in Park City professed their sincere gratitude to these real life superstars of the silver screen and the silver spur.

When I saw the film yesterday I was spellbound by a number of shots that reminded me of my own disadvantaged childhood and my love of nature. Growing up in the city I didn't get to see much of it like this family does but the challenges of my youth were very much the same.

What's wrong with my family? Why are we broken? How did we get here? Who am I? Where am I going? How do I become someone I can be proud of being someday? Then ultimately, how can we help others to become what they can all be proud of becoming, and have a lot of fun along the way. How can I help them?

Something about seeing a simple jump cut to young Porshia's Championship buckles on a little shelf in her room held me in awe of the feeling it resurrected, that I also still remember from way back then. That someday maybe I could achieve something, and be happy, and be proud of myself and of my extended family. That maybe someday the world would make complete sense and I would enjoy and be grateful every minute of being alive.

Never mind that suicide is a central part of the story. Or that a young girl eaves dropping on adults in her family late one night revealed the awful truth of that heartbreaking event. This is a story that affirms everything good about life and death. You leave the theater grateful that such storytelling still exists in the world. That real people like this still exist!

It seems that from the report at Sundance of the reception of this amazing film in Park City, it gave them all that sense of accomplishment. It's so often is missing in the lives of the underdogs, the people living on the edge and barely getting by. That it was given by their peers who also love nature, and their animals, and their extended families, made the report all the more heartfelt and appreciative.

My only question is wanting to know more about the Native American connections in the family. Jesse Thorson let's out a few war hoops at the end on his horse, to make sure we all know where he originally came from. Other than a dedication to a person named Warhawk, I can find nothing on that Native connection. Jesse, and what appears to be his girlfriend and maybe even a better trick rider, are important characters in the story and deserve a bit more attention as to their own Native connections.

In any case, someone please give Kate Beecroft, Tabatha and Porshia, and this wonderful group of kids and adults more than just some applause or kind words so that their legendary story can be enjoyed by more of us. It is something that makes it crystal clear what life is all about. They've also earned a place in indie film history in my heart, a fellow underdog also made good. Giddeyup!

Greetings again from the darkness. Kate Beecroft's first feature film as writer-director can be accurately described as a biographical-drama, yet we can't help but wonder if a straight documentary could have been equally interesting. In no way is that meant as a criticism of the film, it's just that most of the cast (with only a couple of exceptions) is made up of non-actors playing versions of their real-life selves ... and each one of them holds our attention, leaving us wanting to know even more.

Tabatha Zimiga is a tough-looking mom who runs a 3000 acre horse farm near the Badlands of South Dakota. She's a horse trainer and trader, and is known as a 'horse whisperer' (her abilities are so renowned, some even jokingly refer to her as a witch). The auction prices on her horses have dropped recently, adding stress to Tabatha's existence. Not only did her husband die, leaving her to run the farm, but she's also the one who welcomes local kids to live at her place when things don't go well at their own home. As noted by the signs of blight in the area, poverty is commonplace, and some folks can't handle the added burden of kids. In fact, Tabatha currently has seven teenagers and her own three-year-old son to care for - so the reduced price for horses puts many in peril.

One of the teenagers is Tabatha's fourteen-year-old daughter, Porshia, a champion rider who markets the horses on TikTok ... while also going through the moods of a teenager who no longer has her dad. Also on the farm are Tabatha's mother Tracey (played by the always excellent Jennifer Ehle, SAINT MAUD, 2019) and Tabatha's boyfriend Clay. Tracey seems best suited to smart-aleck remarks as she brews her own moonshine. Tabatha calmly and firmly runs the show, knowing full well how dependent the kids are on her.

After one of the auctions, Roy Waters (Scoot McNairy, A COMPLETE UNKNOWN, 2024), a cocky rancher from Fort Worth, Texas makes an offer to Tabatha. He will buy the ranch and allow her and the kids to continue living and working there to build the horse trading business. He recognizes the value in having a horse whisperer of Tabatha's caliber. One can imagine how angry this makes Porshia, as it's the only home she's ever known, and the farm carries all memories of her late father. It's here where the film slips a bit, as the interaction between Tabatha, Porshia, and Roy seems a bit clunky, leaving us to fill in a few too many gaps.

Cinematographer Austin Shelton does a terrific job at capturing the unique terrain of the area, as well as the near chaos of the energetic kids. Periodically, the music is a bit too strong for the scene, but there is something true and honest here as we ask ourselves, "what makes a family?" It certainly seems like Tabatha knows.

The film opens on August 15, 2025.

A strong offering in the Biographical Narrative genre. Not as polished as Nomadland but it offers a window into the lives of those living in the "New West." As real and vulnerable as Yellowstone was manufactured and soapy.

The sound mix is energetic and creative as is the mix of cinematic and cellphone photography. There are some stunning cinematography. At times the narrative flow seems to thin into series of vignettes and some character arcs can thin out, but those elements resolve.

The themes of loss, grief, and overcoming through community and determination and living out one's life and call, are strong and the juice is certainly worth the squeeze. The mix of professional and amateur actors is truly impressive.