Viggo Mortensen succeeds in capturing the Western genre in a careful and feminist interpretation

The dead don’t hurt is a poetic, careful and moving second feature from Viggo Mortensen that captures the Western genre and gives it a fresh feminist twist.

Mortensen wrote, directed and produced the film – and oh, he also composed the score. It’s easy to sit there and wonder if there’s anything the man can’t do.

But despite the herds of Lord of the rings Fans streamed through the streets around the Glasgow Film Festival, where I first saw Mortensen’s latest film, The dead don’t hurt is so much more than just any one man – even if that man is Aragorn himself. Prepare to cancel any plans you had for tonight:

The dead don’t hurt – Set in the 1860s in a Nevada frontier town with a looming civil war, it captivates you from the very first moment and makes you sit up and take notice before the screen even lights up.

When the beautifully composed and cinematic shots appear, the film music and soundscape harmonize with them and provide a visually and acoustically impressive opening.

The anticipation increases even further when we are thrown from the seething silence into the setting of a classic Western saloon and immediately meet the film’s villain, Weston Jeffries (Solly McLeod).

“The Dead Don’t Hurt” is set in Nevada in the 1860s (Signature Entertainment)

The film is over four minutes old and still no one has said a word. It has an unshakeable power through the strength of its shots, soundscapes and the only non-verbal sounds made so far by its actors – McLeod’s amused grunts and hums, in addition to his relaxed posture, unimpressed expression and confident movements, immediately convey his character’s ruthlessness.

After six minutes, we still haven’t seen Mortensen’s face. Granted, he didn’t cast himself in the film, but merely stepped in to take on the role of Danish immigrant Holger Olsen when another actor dropped out. However, one can see that the film would have benefited from having him on screen more, but it’s clear that’s not the case. The dead don’t hurt is about.

While Mortensen flexes a lot of creative muscle in the film, he’s not the main character. Instead, he plays more of a mediator in telling the story of French-Canadian flower seller Vivienne (Vicky Krieps), giving Krieps and McLeod plenty of room to shine – and they do.

Viggo Mortensen plays the role of Holger Olsen (Signature Entertainment)

Not only does the role of Vivienne allow for a fresh and more feminist interpretation of the classic western, but Kriep’s subtle yet fiery portrayal of the protagonist is, alongside Mortensen’s nuanced script, simply beautiful to watch.

Vivienne’s character is portrayed as real Woman who experiences real Emotions without fear of expressing real anger and disregarding societal expectations.

Krieps’ balance between Vivienne’s vivacity and vulnerability is compelling. And her performance is further enhanced when Vivienne meets Holger – Krieps and Mortensen guide their characters’ interactions like a dance.

Vicky Krieps plays Vivienne Le Coudy (Signature Entertainment)

Although their two-step is far from perfectly orchestrated, it comes across as shy and hesitant—and despite the film’s visual cinematic nature, their relationship doesn’t feel Hollywood-like. Krieps and Mortensen masterfully capture the awkwardness of a first encounter.

They stumble through the steps of a blossoming romance, and as they learn another person’s language, Vivienne’s humor and sarcasm perfectly undermine any of Holger’s overly cheesy lines.

The awkward pauses, the stilted language and real Interactions represent a harder relationship that actually mimics the complexity of feeling multiple emotions simultaneously.

A nibble on Krieps’ lip here and a twinkle in Mortensen’s eyes there and the connection between their characters is solidified.

The result is, we Strictly speaking We cheer for Vivienne and Holger as we accompany them on their journey throughout the film, and when Holger goes off to war—leaving Vivienne behind alone—the film gains a simmering intensity.

Vivienne is left alone when Holger goes to fight (Signature Entertainment)

You hear Weston before you see him on screen – there are big shoes for this nefarious character to fill – but up-and-coming actor McLeod rises to the challenge and more than proves why he’s one of Screen Daily’s stars of tomorrow in 2022.

Like the rest of the film and the characters, McLeod’s portrayal doesn’t rely on words to show how much of a villain he is. From his eyes lingering a little too long to the way he uses the power of breath in fascinating ways, McLeod refines the character’s duplicity and makes it clear that Weston’s intentions are not pure, but predatory.

There’s a moment when McLeod’s voice doesn’t quite match the intensity of the moment moving Weston, and he lacks conviction, but his sparkling eyes and the joy on his lips do well to overlook that. And if I can detect just one wavering in the entire performance of the 24-year-old actor, who plays a character so complex that it actually makes your blood run cold – well, that’s saying a lot.

The rest of McLeod’s performance is flawless and on par with Mortensen and Krieps.

McLeod’s performance is in no way inferior to, if not rivals, that of Mortensen and Krieps (Signature Entertainment).

Despite the strong performances from McLeod and of course Mortensen and the relevance of their characters, the film must be credited with never becoming too focused on Vivienne’s experiences and, most importantly, never losing the sense of her strength.

A significant moment in the film is very poignant because it avoids depicting a potentially triggering moment for some viewers – other films and television series should take a lesson from this.

The scene is one of the most powerful and moving in the entire film. It underlines that the story is told from a more feminist perspective and forgoes the shock value. Instead, it approaches the moment with care and sensitivity and focuses on what really matters – Vivienne.

But not long after this scene, the pace of the film slows to a trot when it really should be galloping.

Krieps directs the film (Signature Entertainment)

The non-linear narrative and the exciting revelations only keep the audience on tenterhooks for a certain amount of time.

Again and again, moving themes emerge that touch the heart: a man’s struggle for his meaning and his role in society, what it means to be “a man”, the role of women in society and the expectations placed on them, fatherhood and what constitutes a family.

Unfortunately, the plot slows down where it should have picked up speed and feels a little complacent in its thoughtful nature. At several points I felt like the film could have simply ended there.

A moment towards the end spurs the film on even more, but by that point it has lost much of its intensity and pace. Perhaps it would have helped if the other scenes had been edited more violently and paired with a wilder score. Or if the editors had incorporated more of Weston’s ruthlessness when editing the final cut.

However, given the beauty of what is unsaid, the power of the score, the soundscape, the construction of the shots, the acting, and how real it all feels, it’s hard to criticize the film too much for feeling a little drawn out.

In total, The dead don’t hurt is a visually striking, nuanced feminist take on a Western with outstanding performances and a stellar soundtrack that just could have used a little more lasso.

★★★★☆

“The Dead Don’t Hurt” is currently showing in UK cinemas.

Photo credit: Signature Entertainment

Topics: Celebrities, Film & TV, World News