Woman Walks Ahead (2017)

Better than most people think

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, Dances With Wolves, Hostiles, and this film are all about the same subject--the removal of Indians from the Western territories/states. Each one of these films tells the story from a different, yet true, perspective. Woman Walks Ahead shows clearly how ultra-conservatives can, and do, demonize anybody who doesn't agree with them. Ultra-liberals do the same thing, of course, and back in the NYC of this time period, where the female character played by Jessica Chastain hails from, there were plenty who didn't have a grasp of the situation out West. Chastain plays her part well--except for the fact that she can't keep a British accent though her character is supposed to be from England originally. Setting that aside, ready yourself for brutality comparable to Hostiles--and for a history lesson you won't forget.

What it's not: This is not a western movie, made up by White Hollywood to entertain you, showing you fights and "brave" cowboys.. A movie with interchangeable characters you forget about just as quickly as you finish your popcorn.What it is: This movie is about human beings. Mass murder. The systematic genocide. True parts of history that have been avoided to be told far too many times. Hope. Hopelessness. Mourning and fraud. Framed by a woman that against the "social" reasoning at that time decided to confront injustice. The actors, Chastain - Greyeyes - Rockwell, truly live up to the significance of their historic figures. You never see the roles, but the people who felt, lived, loved and faught for their ways of life. This movie touches you, affects you deeply in the core of your heart and won't leave any eye dry. A very honest movie that is one of a kind.

Can Jessica Chastain do any wrong? Every project she chooses has beauty and sophistication.I'm saddened by the ignorant and imprudent reviews which I read this week. Especially someone calling it "listless". The ongoing hype on action movies and the many dialogues in movies have seemingly numbed the senses of the average moviegoers as they cannot anymore feel without touch, hear without words and see without movement.. The movie contains so many touching moments, relatable characters, an emotional bond between the leads, a sensitive approach to a dark material and a stunning cinematography which will make me watch the movie again on the big screen.Since the topic on Native American rights, Standing Rock and pipelines is as relevant as ever, this movie is of great importance and should not be treated as a forgettable indie film - Shame on the so-called critics.The Native Americans are treated and depicted respectfully by giving them character traits, letting them speak in their own language and showing their bond with nature and their understanding of life. In all movies about Native Americans which I watched, there has always been strong violence, humiliation and vulgarism. Noteworthily is the final shot of a white horse dancing upon hearing a gun shot accompanied by Jessica Chastain's painting-like suffering on the ground - with her loose and long hair which emphasises her long-awaited freedom ! So happy to finally watch a female Western about Native Americans, which is as beautiful as a Romantic painting and as touching as an elegy.

No movie today should be made that is this historically inaccurate. There simply is no excuse.