The frontier is a neglected setting for horror, but a terrifying period even before the possibility of demonic influence. Focusing on the plight of a woman left behind to tend the homestead, The Wind does a brilliant job illustrating isolation with vast landscape and empty distances gorgeously rendered in stunning shots. Methodical and character focused, large stretches of the film focus on a daily grind of frontier life. The main character is constantly combating the isolation and alienation of the frontier and a pervasive whisper of threat. This film is experimentally constructed, jumping non-sequentially through flashbacks that slowly reveal nuances of the backstory. The build escalates nicely with each ending with increasingly intense and haunting nighttime visitations. The main actress delivers a powerhouse performance, low in dialogue but heavily emotive and physical. The resolution takes numerous twists, somewhat predictable but effectively executed. Highly atmospheric and amazingly acted, worth a watch for those who can tolerate psychological horror at a low boil.
The Wind (2018)