Directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, Montana Story tells the story of Cal Thorne (Owen Teague), a young man who finds himself returning to the family ranch that he left due to the ailing health of his father, Wade. Having lived a (mostly) destructive life that has left his family in ruins emotionally and financially, Wade now lies in a coma, cared for by his personal nurse, Ace (Gilbert Owuor). Things become more difficult when Cal’s estranged sister, Erin (Haley Lu Richardson) returns to the ranch to see her father’s plight for herself.
Montana Story is a beautiful and poignant tale about pain that’s been frozen in time. Their simple story may be dwarfed by the magnitude of their surroundings. But their story remains of great importance for them.
At one point, there’s an interesting line that suggests that forgetting the past can be both healthy and negative. This is certainly the case for both siblings who remain unable to do so. The events of Cal and Erin’s childhood broke them, and they still feel the traumas of their past. What’s more, because their father remains in a coma, it is impossible for him to answer for his actions. In this way, his children also remain emotionally trapped by a tyrant whom they cannot confront. Montana Story is as much of a portrait of a family at the end of one life as it is about the potential beginning of two more.
- Release Date: 9/11/2021
