“Montana Story” Review!

Writer-directors: Scott McGehee and David Siegel

"Montana Story" by writer-director Scott McGee and David Siegel is a character-based film in which the directors deal with the emotional weight of the material. Powered by a talented cast, “Montana Story” lets its characters and characters sit in the stillness and tension of their emotions, exploring the intricate dynamics of family and closure.

Carl (Owen Teeg) returns to his family farm in Montana to care for his ailing father, who is now in a coma following a stroke, and his time on earth is coming to an abrupt end. Judging by the way Carl interacts with her, it is easy to see that their relationship has deteriorated. Carl is shocked but happy when his older sister Erin (Haley Lou Richardson) returns home. She hated her father for reasons she later revealed, but she wanted to see him one last time before she died. Erin could not stay in the same room with her father, and at the age of 18 she left the farm and had not spoken to Carl on years. Their quarrel is obvious, but there are moments of tenderness between them, a reminder of how close they must have been before. Eventually the reunited leg aims to mend their relationship.

Nothing much happens in "Montana Story", but it's not good enough for viewers not to see it. The film takes time to unravel its central story and the terrifying relationship between its protagonists. Some may slip away from its slowness, proving it to be true, giving the narrative time to develop, and explaining the characters' backstory and journey ahead. This is a simple story, but its core is cushioned by deep feelings of pain, boredom, pain and love. The brothers who give “Montana Story” their beating heart is sweet, meaningful and complex. In the first half of the film, it's a little hard to understand why Erin and Cal were separated, although it is clear that her abusive father played a role in creating this distance between two people who were once very close.

The exploration of their relationship is intense, full of grief and a desire to return things to their old way. The film is not too quick to explain the nature of their layered dynamics as it allows their dialogue to function organically before leaving the source of the conflict. For that, each dialogue is important, depicting what happens when the actors are allowed to express the beautiful deep emotions that their characters experience. "Montana Story" is so emotional that it takes time to unpack anything between the leg and Erin. Beautiful shots from the Montana landscape helped the film, thanks to photographer Giles Nutgens. The vastness of the mountains and the empty land make the characters seem relatively small, but it isolates them in their grief and pain, bringing attention to their relationship and all its complexity.

"Montana Story" is really deep, with all the great performances by Richardson and Teeg, their expressions, delivery, body language that shows the pain that their characters share, the unhealed wounds, and the innate love. The other one is very good. After all, McGee and Seagal created a beautiful story that is dynamic and painful, guided by its characters, and it is not something to be missed.

Please watch the trailer: