East of Wall

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.

Five years ago director Kate Beecroft was driving around the country with her DP in search of a good story to film, "trying to find faces, stories, maybe something we could use for a short film or b-roll for a music video." She did not dream she would find a fascinating character in a setting where she would spend three years creating her first feature film. And what a film it is, a docu-drama based on the real lives of Tabatha Zamiga and her daughter Porshia. Tabatha is a young, punk widow, raising her children in her ranch in South Dakota, along with several other teens who, for one reason or another, were abandoned by their parents. Tabatha is a master horse trainer and Porshia is a gifted rider. Beecroft spent time teaching them to act in such a way that the authenticity of their fascinating story could come through on film. The compelling hybrid setting brings to mind Nomadland, even more authentic, perhaps, because these amateurs are reliving their own story. I was mesmerized and believe this film deserves an academy nomination. The audience at Sundance 2025 seems to agree. The film received their award at the festival.

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!!!

This movie has a lot going on -- land, family; feminism; horse whispering; class commentary; grieving; abusive relationships and coming of age.

..all jumbled into utter realism.

It takes some patience to watch because the the plot arc gets almost lost after the halfway mark. There are so many characters (who kind of look alike) I kept getting confused. Most of the characters are inarticulate.

But this just adds to the realism. (It very much reminded my of my working class, rural youth) I was emotionally touched and satisfied in the end.

I was expecting the director to take the movie to some horrific, morally outrageous plot turn and she does but in a very clever way that isn't cheap shock.

It reminds me of those "urban realistic" films of the 70s but set in modern South Dakota rather than New York. The cast seem like real people, not actors, even though the movie isn't shot like a documentary.

These days, a number of producers are trying to make "the modern western" and this one succeeds.

If you can tolerate "realistic messiness" -- this movie is very rewarding.

I saw East of Wall at a "Screen Unseen" event at my local theater. I hadn't heard of it before and went in completely blind, which I usually enjoy-but in this case, it didn't quite work out.

I found the movie hard to follow, both in terms of plot and pacing. It seems to center on a woman with a difficult past who trains horses and tries to move forward with her life. While the film clearly aimed to be emotional and character-driven, the storytelling felt disjointed and lacked enough clarity to fully connect with the audience.

On the plus side, the visuals were striking-the South Dakota Badlands made for a beautiful and atmospheric backdrop. The acting was generally solid, though nothing particularly stood out.

Overall, East of Wall had potential, but its narrative struggles kept me from becoming fully invested.