MovieChat Forums > Meek's Cutoff (2011) Discussion > The ending--a clue.

The ending--a clue.

posted 12 years ago by tomcervo
9 replies | jump to latest

I could live with that ending as it is--the real climax/catharsis is Emily trusting The Indian more than anyone else.

But the credits include one for a language adviser, for Nez Perce. The Indian is a Nez Perce. Meek conjures up all sorts of danger from the surrounding red demons--he doesn't recognize his tribe or the language; he's not much of a Mountain Man either. But the Nez Perce attitude towards the strangers was mostly benign curiosity. (Which they learned later to regret, but that's another story.)

So it's a good bet that he's trying to lead them to water. The other posters who know the locale seem to think the same thing--I think him being Nez Perce cinches it.

[–] hilaryjrp 12 years ago

I don't agree. I've seen all of Reichert's films--not a great accomplishment, as there have been only four. But many many critics commented about the undertone of almost unbearable dread in the unforgettable, and similarly uneventful, "Old Joy." That film ended with an actual, well-defined conclusion. I was so disappointed that Meek's Cut-Off didn't, and then had to deal with what my feelings were telling me.

If the Indian were leading them to water, I don't think Reichert would have ended the film with a slow fade-to-black. I believe the fade-to-black is meant to signify something extremely ominous. Too, the Indian would have made *some* sort of human contact with Emily (Williams) at the climactic scene involving them both, and he never does. Reichert as a director does not seem prone to the kind of adolescent ambiguity that really stunned me...all the while the feeling of dread built to almost unbearable proportions.

All of which is to say that this film ultimately was disappointing UNLESS the conclusion was as horrible and hopeless as one can't help but feel it was. Even the title is ominous: the "meek" won't inherit this particular earth.

[–] popcorndreamer 12 years ago

With the help of a Native American who guided the group to water for a blanket, they reached the Deschutes River where Bend, Oregon is today, and then followed the Deschutes north. This group suffered more for lack of supplies, so they sent a relief party ahead to The Dalles. The relief party thought it would be a two day journey, but it took them ten days. When they arrived at The Dalles they were in a starving condition and so weak that some of the men needed help dismounting their horses.

The search for water ended when Meek climbed Glass Butte and from there he could see Buck Creek 25 miles due north. The emigrants immediately left for Buck Creek but from this point on they were no longer following Meek.

[–] JaJa730 11 years ago

I disagree, when the settlers came upon the green flourishing tree, it was evident they were getting close to water. I think at this point Meeks knew he had been wrong about the Native American he had so badly wanted kill and then mistreated, that he let his pride go for the greater good and stepped down. There are a lot of of comedies and other up - beat films that fade to black.

[–] gene-181 10 years ago

I agree, JaJa. My reading exactly.

[–] pauldada 10 years ago

That tree was anything but flourishing. That tree was half-dead.

[–] Prelude-in-C-maj 10 years ago

I agree that the fade to black doesn't necessarily mean anything. I've know films discussed on IMDb that had a fade to white -- and people were convinced that movie's choice of fade, too, meant an ominous ending and death!

You gotta fade to something. In this case that's not inherently part of the message.

[–] garko-1 9 years ago

The story itself is based on a historical account, and in that account, the settlers eventually reach water. But that's not what this movie is about. It's really more about faith and putting one's faith into possibly the wrong thing. In this case, Stephen Meek. What happens with the Nez Perce is almost the same dynamic, but where Stephen Meek reveals himself to be a fraud, the Nez Perce communicates nothing. Emily puts her faith into his supposed knowledge of the land, but the ending shot of her looking at him framed by the dead snag of a tree, as mysterious and uncommunicative as perhaps God, evinces suspicion that she may have placed her faith in a crazy person. He was, after all, wandering alone in the high desert when they crossed paths.

So the question I was left with was "How useful is faith?" Certainly not as useful, in this case, as a map and reliable compass. But Reichert is not interested in answering the questions she raises.

[–] jemfish 8 years ago

He's actually a Cayuse, the mountain man says in the film.

The reason he's speaking Nez Perce is that's the language modern-day Cayuse speak, the Cayuse language having become extinct.

[–] liscarkat (16483) 4 years ago

It would be very interesting (at least to me) to know what the Indian was saying. However, I realize that we are supposed to be just as much in the dark as the pioneers, who didn't know his language. Understanding him would probably spoil the movie by removing doubt about his intentions. But now that I've seen it, I would like to know what he was telling them.