I love many genres of film, but dramas and thrillers are my favorites. I particularly enjoy a good mystery or well-crafted psychological thriller, e.g. Prisoners or Gone Girl. Moreover, independent films tend to be hidden gems. Wind River got my attention with its unsettling, mysterious plot and talented cast. Starring Elizabeth Olsen (Captain America: Civil War) and Jeremy Renner (Arrival), the film is a slow burner, both suspenseful and unsettling. Obviously many great elements comprise a successful film, but for me the most important element will always be the story, the foundation of any movie. Wind River was perfectly structured, for my tastes. The film began in arresting, chilling fashion, but was sustained throughout by the quiet intensity of its story. It struck an emotional cord, exploring the hollowness of grief and the tragic loss of a life extinguished needlessly.

Wind River established an early quiet tone, beginning in the remote locale of a Northwestern Indian Reservation. The setting is an unmistakable driver of the film, insulating its main characters with peaceful solitude, but isolating them from the familiar comfort a community breeds. The cold and desolate locale is a haunting place to spend one’s last moments, but that is the fate that befalls teenaged Natalie, who begins the film running for her life. The scenario is the stuff of horror movies: a young woman chased by an unseen psychopath. Barefoot, she runs full tilt until her lungs give out. Mentally impervious to the freezing temperatures and stinging snow, we know that the prospect of the unknown is less frightening than whatever hell she’s escaping. Wind River asks simply, what happened to Natalie?

We know the question, but who’s asking it? Enter Cory Lambert (Renner), an animal tracker who’s familiar with the landscape and has a personal connection to Natalie. His insight will prove invaluable to the FBI agent assigned to the case, Agent Jane Banner (Olsen). Banner is earnest and sincere, but refreshingly unabashed in her complete lack of preparedness. She is the proverbial outsider, unfamiliar with the physical and cultural terrain. She frankly enlists Lambert’s help, and the two of them set about piecing together the last moments of young Natalie’s life. As the pair close in on a suspect, their lives fall in jeopardy, and Banner shows that although she’s new in town, she’s no stranger to putting someone on their back when necessary.

Wind River was a subdued, yet satisfying film with enough mystery to leave viewers intrigued throughout. There was an ominous, foreboding air about the movie and an emotional vulnerability conveyed through performances tinged with melancholy. Renner and Olsen delivered their performances with emotional intensity, but with the proper restraint demanded by the story. I usually wouldn’t enjoy such a bleak film, but the compelling air of mystery tempered its somber tone. Atypical summer fare, Wind River is worth seeing.

Grade: A