''Woman Walks Ahead'' is a 2017 American
biographical drama Western film directed by
Susanna White and written by
Steven Knight
Steven Knight (born 1 April 1959) is a British screenwriter, film director and film producer. Knight wrote the screenplays for the films ''Closed Circuit'', '' Dirty Pretty Things'', and ''Eastern Promises'', and also wrote and directed the f ...
. The film is the story of
Caroline Weldon
Caroline Weldon (born Susanna Karolina Faesch; December 4, 1844March 15, 1921) was a Swiss-American artist and activist with the National Indian Defense Association. Weldon became a confidante and the personal secretary to the Lakota Sioux Ind ...
(
Jessica Chastain
Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and producer. Known for primarily starring in films with feminist themes, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. ''Time'' ...
), a portrait painter who travels from New York City to the Dakotas in 1890 to paint a portrait of
Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull ( lkt, Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake ; December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against United States government policies. He was killed by Indian agency police on the Standing Rock I ...
(
Michael Greyeyes).
Chaske Spencer and
Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell (born November 5, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for appearing in independent films and also as a character actor portraying a wide variety of roles both comedic and dramatic in films such as '' Lawn Dogs'' (199 ...
also star.
The film premiered at the
Toronto International Film Festival September 10, 2017. It was released through
DirecTV Cinema on May 31, 2018, before being released in a
limited release
__FORCETOC__
Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
on June 29, 2018, by
A24.
Premise
Caroline Weldon, a Swiss-American portrait painter, travels from
Brooklyn, New York to
the Dakotas in the 1890s to paint a portrait of Sitting Bull. She becomes embroiled in the Lakota people's struggle over the rights to their land.
Cast
*
Jessica Chastain
Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and producer. Known for primarily starring in films with feminist themes, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. ''Time'' ...
as
Caroline Weldon
Caroline Weldon (born Susanna Karolina Faesch; December 4, 1844March 15, 1921) was a Swiss-American artist and activist with the National Indian Defense Association. Weldon became a confidante and the personal secretary to the Lakota Sioux Ind ...
, painter and confidante to Sitting Bull
*
Michael Greyeyes as
Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull ( lkt, Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake ; December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against United States government policies. He was killed by Indian agency police on the Standing Rock I ...
*
Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell (born November 5, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for appearing in independent films and also as a character actor portraying a wide variety of roles both comedic and dramatic in films such as '' Lawn Dogs'' (199 ...
as Colonel Silas Grove
*
Ciarán Hinds as
James McLaughlin, a US Indian agent
*
Michael Nouri
Michael Nouri (born December 9, 1945) is an American screen and stage actor. He is best known for his television roles, including Dr. Neil Roberts on ''The O.C.'', Phil Grey on ''Damages'', Caleb Cortlandt on ''All My Children'', Eli David in ...
as Karl Valentine
*
Chaske Spencer as Chaska, a local lawman
*
Bill Camp as
General Crook
George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. During the 1880s, the Apache nicknamed Crook ''Nantan ...
*Rulan Tangen as Susan McLaughlin
*Rachel Singer as Dry Goods Assistant
*
Louisa Krause as Loretta
*Lyle Sandoval as Tracker
Production
On February 3, 2016, it was reported that
Jessica Chastain
Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and producer. Known for primarily starring in films with feminist themes, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. ''Time'' ...
was in talks to play
Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull ( lkt, Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake ; December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against United States government policies. He was killed by Indian agency police on the Standing Rock I ...
's confidante in ''Woman Walks Ahead'', directed by
Susanna White. On September 14, 2016,
Michael Greyeyes,
Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell (born November 5, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for appearing in independent films and also as a character actor portraying a wide variety of roles both comedic and dramatic in films such as '' Lawn Dogs'' (199 ...
,
Ciarán Hinds,
Chaske Spencer, and
Bill Camp joined the cast, with
principal photography having begun in
New Mexico.
Release
The film had its world premiere at the
Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2017.
Shortly after,
A24 and
DirecTV Cinema acquired distribution rights to the film. Its U.S. premiere was at the
Tribeca Film Festival on April 25, 2018.
It was released through
DirecTV Cinema on May 31, 2018, before being released in a
limited release
__FORCETOC__
Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
on June 29, 2018.
Reception
On
review aggregator website
Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 59% based on 44 reviews, and an average rating of 5.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "''Woman Walks Ahead'' gets some extra mileage out of watchable work from Jessica Chastain and Michael Greyeyes, but uneven pacing and two-dimensional characters undermine their efforts." On
Metacritic, which assigns a rating to reviews, the film has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Despite mixed reviews,
Michael Greyeyes received critical acclaim for his portrayal of
Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull ( lkt, Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake ; December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against United States government policies. He was killed by Indian agency police on the Standing Rock I ...
.
''
The New York Times'' critic Jeannette Catsoulis called his performance "a miracle of intelligence and dignity".
RogerEbert.com
''RogerEbert.com'' is an American film review website that archives reviews written by film critic Roger Ebert for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' and also shares other critics' reviews and essays. The website, underwritten by the ''Chicago Sun-Times' ...
contributor Susan Wloszczyna raved about his performance, calling it "the most subtle, soulful, and believable".
''
Los Angeles Times'' and ''
Village Voice'' critics described his presence as captivating as “wry wit and quiet gravity”, while the latter described his performance as "stirring".
References
External links
*
{{Steven Knight
2017 films
American biographical drama films
British biographical drama films
2017 biographical drama films
2010s English-language films
Lakota-language films
Films directed by Susanna White
Films scored by George Fenton
Films with screenplays by Steven Knight
Films about Native Americans
Cultural depictions of Sitting Bull
Films shot in New Mexico
A24 (company) films
2017 drama films
Films set in the 1890s
Films set in South Dakota
Films set in North Dakota
2017 multilingual films
American multilingual films
British multilingual films
2018 Western (genre) films
2010s American films
2010s British films