#❪ I. LEHMANN ❫ / ATTIRE.

[raingoup]

Vic's of Vernon: Chapter 1

(Special Thanks to Marble Chip for the awesome drawing!)

A woman in fancy maid attire kneels in the middle of an empty white room. There are no doors in the proximity, just a giant glass window in front of her. And nothing can be heard except for the softness of her breathing.

Two men appear on the other side of the window. The woman recognizes her boss, Mr. Supervisor, in the butler uniform. He is talking with a massive man in an oversized bear fur coat: a VIP customer. She can't hear their conversation, but she can read lips.

"I implore you, Lord Vernon, she is too inexperienced for someone of your caliber. Wait for one of the other maids of similar features to become available." Mr. Supervisor said.

"I don't have the luxury to wait. I need this woman now." Vernon said.

"This would be her first job. I don't want her getting overwhelmed." Vernon looks straight at the maid. As their eyes met, her body tensed up. His gaze had an intimidating presence. Refusing to look weak, she kept a strong face.

"I believe she'll be okay. Now let me in." Vernon said.

"Alright." Mr. Supervisor sighs.

The men walk away from the window's view. Moments later, two knocks bang on the wall behind the maid, causing that entire side to slide down. The men await on the other side in a larger empty white room. Mr. Supervisor claps his hands a single time. The maid stands up, twirls, and curtsy bows to the men.

"Alice Lehmann, at your service." The maid said. Vernon asks Alice, "Do you know who I am?"

"No."

Mr. Supervisor grimaced. He almost facepalmed upon hearing Alice's answer. In mid-motion, he opted to clench his fists and shook his head instead.

"Hmm." Vernon rubs his chin. "My name is Aiden Vernon. I am the appointed lord for Pointer's Harbor."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord Vernon." Alice bows.

"Blue eyes." Aiden walks around Alice and casually examines her posture. "Long blonde hair. And..." He glances at her bust before returning alongside Mr. Supervisor. "Yes, I want her service."

"Very well," Mr. Supervisor brings out a tiny book with a pen and a permit from his chest pocket. "sign this, please."

Aiden complies. His massive hand size only allowed him to hold the pen with his thumb and index fingers. The signature resulted in looking like a chicken scratching the paper. Mr. Supervisor leaves the room without saying anything; the wall slides back up behind him. Aiden walks up to the glass window, and Alice quietly follows behind. On the other side of the window is another empty white room.

"I noticed that you could read my lips. Very impressive. Are there any other hidden talents I should be aware of? Your resume file is completely empty." Vernon said.

"No. You hired me despite my inexperience. Why?" Alice asked back.

"I'm not answering that. Just do what you're told, and I promise you will be taken care of for the rest of your life."

"Very well. Please forgive me." Alice bows and keeps her head down.

"You're forgiven, now, raise your head. I don't want you missing this."

The walls on the other side of the window slid away. This revealed a coastal town in the far distance: Pointer's Harbor. The small stone buildings allowed Alice to appreciate the glistening ocean. A flock of seagulls flew into view. Fortunately for Alice, their incessant squawking is silent thanks to the soundproof glass.

"It's not much, but I think I did an impressive job, considering this town didn't exist a year ago." Vernon puffs his chest out.

Knocks can be heard. The wall from behind opens up, with Mr. Supervisor appearing on the other side. Behind him are a cluster of bricked villas. The villas are bustling with many maids and butlers. Alice even recognizes some of them as former acquaintances. As Alice and Aiden proceed to leave, Mr. Supervisor gestures for them to stop.

"I'd like to say my goodbyes to Alice in private, please." Mr. Supervisor said.

"Very well. Alice, meet me at the fountain after you're done. It will be at the center of all these villas." Aiden goes on his way to the villas. Many butlers and maids greet him and bow.

"Why didn't you read the dossier?" Mr. Supervisor asked.

"I-I..." Alice mumbles, "I lost it while I was training."

"Are you kidding me?" Mr. Supervisor's face distorts. He's doing everything in his power to not yell.

"I swear somebody took it! I left it in my locker, locked, then it wasn't there anymore."

"Enough!" Mr. Supervisor massages his face with his fingers. "The Cube always provides, so you better not screw this up. Now go. And may we never meet again."

"Goodbye, Mr. Supervisor. Thank you for everything." Alice curtsy bows before leaving.

As Alice leaves, she can hear the wall slide up behind her. She turns and sees nothing: just the cliffside showcasing Pointer's Harbor. She sticks her hand forward and only feels the breeze of the air flowing through her.

"So cool...!" Alice turns around and finally makes her way to the villas.

Many eyes stare at Alice walking through the brick path between the villas. The butlers and maids stop their tasks all at once. Alice's steps are the only audible noise within immediate proximity. One maid decided to block Alice's way.

"You shouldn't be here." The maid remarks with a cold tone.

"Lord Vernon personally requested my services. I deserve to be here as much as everyone else." Alice noticed her comment gained the ire of many listening in on the conversation.

"I worked my ass off for a decade to get here! Yet your clumsy ass already made it in the big leagues without anything to show on your resume! You only got hired because of your looks; allow me to change that." The maid brandishes a dagger and points it at Alice's face with both hands.

The maid lunges at Alice with her dagger. Alice sidesteps and trips the maid with her foot. Alice caught the maid by the collar before her face collided with the brick path. Instead of showing appreciation, the maid swipes her knife at Alice's face.

"Fool!" Alice slams the maid onto the brick path.

"Gwah!" The impact knocked all the air out of the maid.

Alice pockets the knife before walking away. The observers tend to the fallen maid.

"This isn't over yet! I'll make you regret ever coming here! You should have stayed in The Cube!" The maid yells one last time before getting carried away by the other maids.

Alice ignores the maid's empty threats and resumes her journey. Many eyes are still locked on Alice, but nobody dares to interfere. They carry along with their business as if nothing ever happened. The activities become bustling once more.

In the central area, Aiden sits on a bench, signing papers brought to him by the maids and butlers. The fountain behind him is of a small circumference. There are many designs of stick figures dancing etched onto the bricks. The water sprouts with many silver coins resting down below.

"Ah, Alice, glad you're finally here." Aiden gets off the bench. "Come, I shall introduce you to my family."

Alice follows Aiden to the largest villa in the neighborhood: the Vernon manor. The building is adorned with many faunas surrounding the premise. There's also a bronze statue of Aiden plunging a sword through a massive bear at the forefront. A plaque underneath reads Aiden Vernon, Slayer of Bears.

"Who made this?" Alice asked.

"This was gifted to me by Simon Smiles for saving him from a bear decades before he came to power. His main man, The Golem, carried the whole damn thing by himself. I find it weird, but one does not refuse the House of One Thousand Smiles without consequences." Aiden opens the door for Alice. "You first."

Alice enters and sees a vast room full of paintings along the walls. They depict different biomes of nature: rainforests, beaches, and snowy fields. The ceiling has a transparent glass roof to highlight the painting's vividness. A woman whose features are like Alice's looks down from the main hall stairway.

"Mom?" A young boy in an adorable sailor's outfit runs to hug Alice. "You came back!"

"Oh, um, hi..." Alice, though confused, hugs the boy back.

"Get away from her, Vic! That's not mom!" A young lady wearing a silk dress walks in and asks, "Who are you?"

The young woman looks inebriated with a red face. Her stare is accompanied by frequent hiccups. She holds a long bottle of wine that has a snake preserved inside. Even though the snake wine is massive, this woman handles it easily.

"She's my maid." Aiden comes in and answers for Alice. "She will be serving us from now on."

"Not cool, dad, this is messed up." A young man wearing a trench coat closes the front door and puts his fedora on the nearby hat rack.

Amongst this insane situation, Alice was more intrigued by the family's age difference. While Aiden is the oldest person in the room, he doesn't look that old to the young man.

"Lord Vernon, I'm sorry to ask this out of nowhere, but how old are you?" Alice asked while still hugging the child.

"Seventy-two!" Aiden answered with his chest puffed out.

"Ah," Alice gasped. "You barely look thirty."

Even though Aiden knew what Alice's response was going to be, his face still turned red. He yanks the young man and woman together by the arm. They have looks of disgust on their faces but put up no resistance.

"This is my family. My second oldest son: Victor, age twenty-six. My daughter: Victoria, she's the second youngest at twenty-one. You're currently hugging my youngest son: Vic, who has just turned six."

"My name is Alice Lehmann. It's a pleasure to meet you all." Unable to perform a curtsy bow, she bows her head slightly forward.

"Oh…" Tears form in his eyes. "You're not my mom after all…" He releases his hug and runs off on his own.

Victoria and Victor chase after Vic. They give Alice a stink eye as they pass her. Aiden closes his eyes and turns away. Alice walks up to Aiden's side. The thick bear fur coat hides it, but she can see his body quivering.

"What's your wife's name?" Alice asked.

"Isabella." Aiden answers without turning his head. He refuses to show his tears to Alice. "It hasn't even been four months yet, but I..." He sniffles. "She made these paintings as we traveled through the different areas. She made that final painting of herself before succumbing to leukemia. At least that's what the only doctor around here said it was."

"My condolences." Alice hands him a handkerchief from her pocket.

Aiden accepts Alice's gift and cleans his face with it. He gives the handkerchief back and walks away. Alice follows closely behind. Down the hallway were more paintings: tropical jungles, deserts, and mountains.

"How far did your family travel?" Alice asked.

"Hmm… I believe almost two continents. It's hard to keep track of New Pangaea rearranging everything. It's why I was sent here to help explore and scan the lay of the land. I envy The Cube's method of transportation. You must tell how they do it."

"I'm afraid I have no clue, my lord. My whole career leading up to this moment has been focused on providing optimal service. Mr. Supervisor would never tell me their inner workings."

"Greedy bastards, but I get it."

They stopped in front of what looked like the kitchen.

"Cook dinner," Aiden said. "we tend to eat around this time."

"Very well, what would you like for dinner?"

"I don't care. I'll eat anything."

"Um..." Alice furrowed her brows. "How about the rest of your family. What do they like to eat?"

"It doesn't matter. I'll order the kids to eat whatever you cook for us." Aiden leaves.

Alice shakes her fist. The kitchen's L-shaped layout features a fridge, sink, stove, and granite countertop. A cupboard has been installed above the arrangement. There's not much space to work with, but it's openly connected with the dining room. She sees a long wooden dining table accompanied by seven chairs.

"Hmm..." Alice slowly counts up to four digits on her fingers. "I only met four of the Vernon household." She counts her fifth digit. "Isabella makes five. I haven't been introduced to the oldest son yet. No clue who the last chair is for..."

Alice drops the brainstorming to concentrate on her highest priority. Cooking something edible. There are many magnets on the fridge of Isabella posing and playing with the family. Isabella is lifting Vic high up in the air. She kisses Aiden in another. Here she tickles a younger Victor. And one where Isabella runs away from Victoria with what looks like a diary. There's one showing Isabella doing the tango with a man who looks like the oldest of the family. A second magnet has Isabella painting with that same man.

"Surprising to see the oldest have an extra photo over everyone else. Is Isabella also secretly older? She only looks a little older than I do." Alice shakes her head. "I'm distracting myself too much again..."

Alice opens the fridge door. Inside are many different colored jugs of water. Red, blue, green, yellow, purple, turquoise, and black. The scent of onion flares up her nostrils and stings her eyes. The water jugs make it impossible to discern where the onion is.

Alice takes out the jugs and places them on the countertop. This reveals a tray of beef chunks and a single onion bulb hiding in the back right corner. She backs out and checks the cupboard. Inside are a bunch of shakers, none of which are labeled. She grabs a handful and sniffs them: salt, pepper, saffron, paprika, and lemon pepper.

"Ah... hah...choo!" Alice sneezes into her right armpit.

 Alice puts the shakers back where she found them and searches through the rest of the cupboard. Besides the shakers, there's a compartment with pots and pans. She hovers her hand back and forth, thinking about which tool to use. After a minute of indecision, she grabs both of them to put on the countertop. There was not enough space available. The pot and pan had to go back. Alice puts the jugs back in the fridge. Now she realizes that cooking dinner can't start without the food. She brings half the water jugs to the countertop to make way for the beef chunks and the onion bulb. Now putting all the water jugs back in the fridge, the small pot and pan are finally laid on the countertop.

"Huff, huff!" Alice drooped over the sink. "Come on, Alice. It's only... dinner. There's a first time for everything."

Alice opens the third and final cupboard to find a small bag of white rice and a flask inside. She opens the flask and smells it: olive oil. Both are placed on the countertop. She looks around the rest of the kitchen and makes a puzzled look.

"Where's the rice cooker?" Alice frowns.

Turns out there's nothing that remotely resembles a rice cooker.

"Um... how do I cook rice without a rice cooker? shit!" She scratches her head. "I vaguely remember the cooking class where Mrs. Madam made everyone cook rice on the stovetop."

Alice poured the white rice into the small pot until it filled halfway. She turns the sink's cold water knob; nothing comes out. Upon opening the door beneath the sink, there's a lack of a pipe system.

"What the hell?" She threw her hands up.

She brings out the red water jug and pours it into the small pot up to the same level as the rice at the halfway mark. After placing the pot of rice on the electric stovetop, the knob is turned on to max heat. The heating element hiding inside begin to sizzle.

"Whew... things are finally going my way." Alice wipes off the sweat from her brow and smiles.

She turns her attention to the tray of beef chunks now. Its tender pinkness made Alice lick her lips. She took off her gloves and grabbed the meat, which gave soft and smooth texture feedback on her hands. The beef chunks have already been precut. The only preparation she performs is dunking all the shakers over the tray. Alice then rubs all the spices on each individual beef chunk over and over again. Before the preparation task could be finished, the rice pot began to boil and bubble up.

"Ah, I wasn't fast enough!"

Unable to use the sink, Alice dips her hands into the red water jug to wash off the spices. She opens the drawer underneath the countertop full of utensils and looks for a wooden spoon. After grabbing it, she uses the wooden spoon to stir the rice pot with great force. The pot boiled for so long that bubbles rose over the rim and spilled onto the stove.

"Eeek!"

Alice sets the wooden spoon aside to turn the stove knob to low, causing the bubbles to subside. However, she remembers that the pot has to simmer before lowering the heat. The knob turned to medium for a minute. The water begins a light boil. Alice stirs and grabs a lid from the second cupboard compartment to cover the rice pot.

"Gah! I'd rather be in a fistfight right now." Alice cleans her face with the handkerchief.

A second knob on the stove is turned high for the beef chunks. Alice grabs the oil flask to spew onto the pan. She puts the flask back into the third compartment cupboard. The pan moves around in a circular motion until the oil spreads evenly. She puts the pan onto the second segment of the stove. Next to the pan, the rice pot's lid starts to shake as rice overflows onto the stove.

"I should've used a bigger pot."

Alice picks at a grain of the rice that fell out and nibbled it. "It's still hard and undercooked. It's edible enough for my standards, but I'm sure the Vernon family would despise this."

Alice grabs all the spilled rice and dunks it in a trashcan that's nearby. The stove heat is still on, but her hands are tolerant and are hardly bothered by how hot the elements are. The lid shuts on the pot once more.

Meanwhile, the pan on the other segment has sizzling oil. The oil flies everywhere, including Alice's outfit. The knob for it is turned to the lowest high possible, calming the pan down for the most part. The beef chunks drop one by one onto the pan, searing its oil to what sounds like a sudden war cry. Alice grabs a pair of tongs from the utensil drawer and turns over the beef chunks until it's evenly brown.

“Mmm.” Alice sniffs the tasty aroma emanating from the meat and licks her lips.

Alice turns the knob off for the segment with the beef chunk pan. The oil gradually calms down and goes silent. She gets a large oval plate from the first cupboard and sets it next to the stove. Before continuing, she takes a look around her vicinity.

“There’s no napkins or paper towels here… or even just towels.” Alice scratches her head.

Alice uses the tongs to grab and shake the beef chunks mid-air to get rid of excess oil before placing them on the plate. Even after all that careful precision, oil still seeps out of the meat. The excess oil accumulates to the point where a puddle settles near the edge on one side of the plate.

“That oil puddle looks so disgusting! But there’s nowhere to drain it, unless…”

Alice opens the rice pot. Steam puffs out, and her hands are still not bothered by the heat. She takes a single grain of the cooked rice and nibbles on it. The exterior is soft, but the interior is hard. Biting it causes a cracking noise as if she were eating a tortilla chip.

“Edible enough.” Alice eats another grain. “Maybe they’ll like the uncanny juxtaposition.”

A large bowl was grabbed from the first cupboard set next to the rice pot. The knob for the stovetop’s first segment is turned off. Alice dunks the rice from the pot into the bowl, and steam emanates from the rice bowl. She dumps the beef chunk plate into the now empty pot to separate the oil from the meat one more time. The tongs shake each beef chunk piece again before getting back onto the plate. This time there is much less excess oil with the beef chunks.

Alice takes a step back and realizes that there was something amiss this whole time: the onion bulb. She completely forgot to prepare and add the onion to cook with the beef chunks. A cutting board is grabbed from the first cupboard and set next to the onion bulb. Her hands tear off the onion skin and throw them away into the sink. She grabs a knife from the countertop drawer and begins chopping the onion into cubed pieces.

Chemical oxide from the chopped onions irritates Alice’s eyes but she refuses to let herself cry. She prevents her crying by focusing on turning the knob of the second segment. After the pan warms up, the oil from the pot drips onto the pan, causing the oil to sizzle once again. With irritated eyes, Alice dumps the chopped onions into the pan. She then walks away with the rice bowl and beef plate to set them on the dining table. After setting them, she sees a roll of paper towels hiding in the corner of the room on a small table. A simple wall clock above the table tells the time with their hands: 6:52 PM.

“Urrgh.” 

Alice looks outside the hallway window and notices that the moon is already beaming in the sky. Alice takes the paper towel and hurries back into the kitchen to finish the onions. The chopped pieces are gradually turning brown. She hoped they would caramelize more, but decided to stop due to spending too much time cooking. She grabs one more plate from the first cupboard and lies it next to the stovetop. Several pieces of paper towel are torn off and placed on top of the plate. The paper towel absorbs all the excess oil from the onions. Alice then rolls up the paper towel with the onions into a ball and lifts it midair with one hand. The oil drips from the paper towel onto the plate. Her chin holds the paper towel roll while her other free hand rips more pieces from the roll to put on the plate. The balled-up oily paper towel opens up to drop the onions into the fresh paper toweled plate. Alice throws the oily paper towel into the sink, landing with the peeled skin.

“Whew, all done with cooking now!” Alice places the onion plate next to the beef plate and rice bowl on the dining table.

Alice grabs a stack of small plates from the first cupboard and has them join the dining table as well. She notices that there’s a bell with a handle resting on the chair at the end of the table. Instead of yelling, “dinner!”, she rings the bell it several times. The chime has some rusty feedback, but at least it’s loud enough that anyone within a yard can hear its call.

Aiden Vernon walked in first and sat on the chair Alice nabbed the bell from. Victor came in second and sat on the chair next to Aiden. Then came Victoria who sat next to Victor. And finally, Vic sits next to Victoria. The chair opposite Aiden as well as the two chairs opposite the children remain empty. Aiden is happy to see food ready; however, the children had a clear look of disappointment on their faces.

Alice portions large amounts of the beef chunks, the rice, and the onions onto a plate and serves it to Aiden.

“Thank you, honey-er, ahem! Thank you, Alice…” Aiden’s face gets red.

“You’re welcome.” Alice smiles at Aiden.

Alice portions medium amounts of the beef chunks, the rice, and the onions onto a plate and serves it to Vic.

“T-thank you!” Vic’s face is even redder compared to Aiden’s.

“You’re welcome!” Alice smiles at Vic.

Alice portions small amounts of the beef chunks, the rice, and the onions onto a plate and serves it to Victoria.

“Thanks…” Victoria kept her head down.

“You’re welcome.” Alice slightly bows her head.

Alice portions the rest of the food, which also equals a small amount on a plate, and serves it to Victor.

“I wish for more food.” Victor slams his fist on the table.

“Forgive me, sir Victor, but that is all we have. There is no more food in the fridge, only water.” Alice said.

“Is that so?” Aiden smirks. “Victor, you were supposed to go to town today and bring back food. Are you playing with your toys again?”

Victor doesn’t bother answering and scarfs his food down with his bare hands in a matter of seconds. He leaves as quickly as he had arrived, slamming a gold coin on the table underneath the wall clock on his way out. Alice’s ears perked as she heard the faint noise of retched vomit in the far distance. Nobody else heard the gagging, only Alice.

Aiden, Vic, and Victoria put their hands together and closed their eyes into a silent prayer. The air grew hot as Alice stared at the three in silence. Their posture stayed affixed even though a fly buzzing interrupts the serene tone. The fly flew for Aiden’s plate, but before it could reach its destination, its body evaporates into thin air. Alice shook her head as she knew the fly was there a split second ago. The Vernon family opened their eyes and the only one who began eating their food was Vic with his bare hands. Victoria still kept her head down while Aiden glared at Alice.

“You forgot our utensils and water jugs,” Aiden said.

“Oh, sorry!” Alice walked to the kitchen cupboard to grab forks and knives for each family member present.

Aiden and Victoria accepted the utensils while Vic didn’t realize he was being offered. Vic stopped eating when he realized his gobbling was the only noise source in the room.

“Vic.” Aiden bellowed.

��…” Vic froze for a moment, his eyes went bug-eyed. “S-sorry, mom-er-Alice…” He takes the utensils from Alice’s hands and immediately uses them.

“It’s okay, sweetie. If I had known you were so hungry, I would have cooked faster.” Alice pats Vic’s head and smiles.

Vic gives a dopey smile back at Alice and proceeds to use the utensils to eat. Unfortunately, his meager strength is unable to cut the beef through in a clean manner. There are six different knife marks on the beef he had just cut.

“Allow me.” Alice takes Vic’s utensils and cuts all his beef chunks with little effort. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think the meat would be too tough for you.”

“It’s not too tough!” Vic puffs his cheeks. “I was very close to cutting through my piece!”

“Oh sure, for your starting piece maybe. But how long would it take for you to cut the rest of the pieces? Don’t be afraid to ask for help.” Alice hands back Vic’s utensils.

Alice lets Vic eat his meal in peace and tends to clean up Victor’s plate. On her way back to the kitchen, she hears Aiden trying to clear his throat. Alice takes out a black water jug from the fridge and brings it to Aiden’s side.

“Urrk!” Aiden coughs. “Thank you, dear, but my jug is red.”

“Oh… I’m afraid that the jug is dirty. Use this jug for now.” Alice pushes the black water jug in front of Aiden.

“What?” Aiden gets up from his chair and looks towards the kitchen. “I can see my jug right next to the sink!”

“I-I had to use it to cook the rice and wash my hands. I’m going to need it again soon to clean everyone’s plates.” Alice explained.

“Why not use the sink?” Aiden squints his eyes.

“The water doesn’t come out. There’s no pipe system installed for the sink.” Alice answered.

“Ugh, Victor…!” Aiden chugs all the water from the black jug and walks out yelling, “Victor!”

Aiden's plate was only half eaten. Alice decided to only put the empty black jug away into the fridge for now. Vic is about finished with his plate while Victoria decided to stop eating after a few bites. Vic was about to jump out of his chair when Victoria stopped him by yanking his arm in place. Victoria pulls Vic in and seemingly whispers a few words too quiet for Alice to hear. Vic’s expression changes from enthusiasm to disappointment before leaving.

“Thank you for the meal.” Victoria gets off her seat and leaves.

Alice is all by her lonesome self once more. Instead of sulking about her roughshod service, she gets right into cleaning dinner. Everything necessary for a proper cleanup is not immediately available. The one thing she has is a metal trashcan, complete with a retractable lid and trash bag rolls, in the kitchen. A segment of a trash bag roll is torn off from the roll and lines up inside the trashcan. The leftover food from Aiden and Victoria’s plate slops into the trashcan. The gunk from the sink is also thrown into the trashcan for good measure.

All the ceramic plates used for tonight’s dinner are stacked next to the sink. There’s no dishrack in sight, further pushing Alice’s chagrin. The moonlight peers through the kitchen window. Alice notices that there's a table right outside the window in the courtyard. This wooden table has many slots and holes in it; perfect for letting water runoff from a washed plate. A door in the kitchen leads straight to the courtyard so she doesn’t need to travel far. She carries the stacked plates with ease with one hand and opens the door.

Two hours have passed since Alice started her service. She's disappointed she missed what a sunset looks like around here. The night breeze rustles through her clothes, it doesn’t feel cool at all; it actually feels quite warm. Alice shrugs off the odd temperature and lets down the stacked plates on the table.

The courtyard is incomplete. The dirt was leveled, but there are plants surrounding the center palm tree with many empty plots. Alice inspects and notices the greenery matches the paintings she saw earlier.

“Was Isabella the one who planted these? None of the other family members comes across as a green thumb.” Alice kneels down by the empty plots.

On the far opposite end of the courtyard, Aiden and Victor are arguing with each other. Victor keeps walking away while Aiden walks after him. Alice happens to be hidden because of the palm tree.

“Stop, Victor!” Aiden grasps Victor’s shoulder, finally prompting him to stop.

“Why?” Victor smacks Aiden’s hand away. “Everyone’s grieving, but instead of moving on, you replace mom with someone who looks exactly like her? What the fuck, dad?”

“I know, just…” Aiden sighs before continuing, “get used to it, okay?”

“No, not okay. Send Alice back.”

“I’m not doing that, I already paid for her contract.”

Victor shakes his head and says, “Then have her stay at the villas with the other maids and butlers.”

“No, they all don’t like her. She stays with us.” Aiden replies.

“Tch!” Victor clicks his tongue and gets closer to Aiden’s face. “You better make sure she stays away from me. From Victoria. And especially from Vic.” Victor turns his back on Aiden and leaves through the hallway.

Aiden stops chasing after Victor. Stunned at the audacity of his son’s rebellious nature. His eyes close and clench his fists. Alice comes out from behind the palm tree. Aiden doesn’t bother registering her presence; his fists tighten even harder. It’s easy to see that his gruff knuckles made contact with many faces throughout his life. Without saying anything, Alice walks over to Aiden and caresses his fists with her hands. Aiden opens his eyes. He’s shocked to feel that Alice’s hands are as rough as his hands. His demeanor goes back to calmness. Even the warmness from the night breeze is gone now, its coolness has returned again.

“Thank you.” Aiden smiles.

Aiden’s eyes peer toward the stacked plates on the wooden table. His hand gestures at Alice to wait for a moment. He leaves through the hallway and comes back a minute later with a bar of soap in one hand and a sponge in the other hand. The soap bar smells of sweet lavender. The sponge has a hard and dry texture on its surface. Alice takes both the lavender soap and sponge from his hand. Its wet surface almost slips through Alice’s fingers several times.

“Use this with my former water jug. After you’re done washing the dishes, can you make sure Vic sleeps? It'll be past his bedtime by the time you’re done cleaning. All our bedrooms are on the second floor. You can get there through the stairs in the main hall. Meet me in my bedroom after everything is done.” Aiden leaves through the hallway.

Alice gets back to work and brings the black water jug from the kitchen to the wooden table. Dropping the lavender soap into the black water jug causes suds to bubble up at the top. She dunks the sponge up and down within the water before taking it out. Its new squishy texture now keeps spilling out tiny bubbles into the air. Every wipe from the sponge to each plate causes a squeak that can be heard from a yard away. Victoria, whose bedroom faces the courtyard, shuts her window loudly for Alice to hear. Alice doesn’t care at all and sponge wipes even harder, leading to louder squeaks.

Victoria swings her window open and yells, “Shut up!”

Alice turns around and holds the last dirty plate in her hands like a miniature guitar. She rapidly wipes the plate with the sponge as if it were a guitar pick. The fast consecutive squeaky noises irritate the very soul of Victoria. She slams the window once again. The window next to Victoria’s bedroom swings open, revealing Victor. He's also unhappy with the noise pollution. He stares at Alice and slowly shakes his head. Alice stares back at Victor and slowly nods her head. Alice grinds the sponge against the plate. Its continuous screech is akin to that of a person’s nails scratching down a chalkboard. Unlike Victoria, Victor peers deeper into Alice’s wretched solo. Without saying anything, he closes his bedroom window.

Satisfied with her performance, Alice finally completes her task of cleaning the dishes. All the dishes are spaced from one another to allow efficient drying. She spent a long time entertaining the older siblings when it should have been the youngest. The wall clock in the dining room shows the time: 8:00PM.

While putting her gloves back on, Alice walks back through the hallway of paintings. She stops in front of a painting that caught her eye. It depicts a beach glimmering an almost green hue from the sunset. Underneath the plaque: Fort Vegan Beach. Upon closer inspection, Alice could hear the waves crashing on the sand; she could even smell it. Her face sweats profusely and drips off her chin. Her breathing also turns erratic.

“Gah…!” Alice forces herself to step back. “I don’t have time, I must tend to Vic.”

Upon going up the main hall’s stairway to the second floor, Alice sees several doors with plaque signs on them. Vic, Victoria, Victor, mama and papa, and finally Vicar. The enormous gap between each door gave Alice a subconscious gulp. She approaches Vic’s door and knocks. There is no response.

“Oh sir Vic, may I come in?” Alice knocks again.

“Only if you refer to me as master!” Vic said from the other side of the door.

“I shall not, sir Vic. Only Aiden is my master. Now let me in so that I may put you to bed.”

Alice hears a click from the door. She tries turning the knob, but can’t open it.

“That’s not very nice, little Vic. Whether you like it or not, I’m coming in.”

Alice strokes her fingers around the lock. The wooden surface of the door is thick enough that punching with her hands right now would only injure her. To prevent this, she takes out and puts on a large black glove. Stroking the door with the glove makes a scraping metallic noise. Alice’s fingers extend right before the lock. She takes a breath and in an instant, punches through the lock, leaving behind an opening. Bits of the door’s debris fly all over the place. The impact was so loud, Victoria came outside to see what the fuss was about.

“What are you doing?” Victoria said; her hands still covering her ears.

“It’s past Vic’s bedtime, I’m going to put him to sleep… have you been covering your ears this whole time?” Alice said.

“Never mind that!” Victoria’s gets red. “You don’t just punch a hole through the door! If it’s locked then it’s obvious that Vic doesn’t want to be disturbed! It’s common courtesy!”

“Aiden ordered me to put Vic to bed. I will not disappoint him. Now if you insist on interrupting me, I’ll be happy to oblige in putting you to bed as well.” Alice takes a step toward Victoria.

“Ah! You’re no maid. You’re a barbarian.”

Victoria steps back and retreats to her bedroom. Alice can hear four clicks coming from Victoria’s door. There’s even the rustling of chains running up against the wall.

Alice ignores the wasted fortification effort and goes through Vic’s door. The space inside the bedroom is ginormous. Excluding the main hall, it’s the biggest area Alice has been in so far. Filling the perimeter are a bunch of human dolls in various clothing. A small doll on the floor staring at Alice looks eerily similar to Aiden. Behind the Aiden doll is an even bigger, life-sized doll of Aiden staring at Alice. The other dolls look like the other family members, excluding mom. The many realistic dolls of Vic made it hard to determine who the real Vic was. Alice walks around the doll room and takes the time to examine each figure. One life-sized doll dressed up as a priest caused Alice to stop and admire it for a very long time. She could hear footsteps shuffling behind her, but remained motionless and unresponsive.

“Yah!” Vic yells and pounces at Alice.

Alice sidesteps to safety, forcing Vic to crash into the priest doll. The impact tears the doll apart, yet the clothes it was wearing survived with no permanent damage. Vic sustained no major injuries; despite this, however, tears began pouring out of his eyes. Alice picks him up and cradles him, rocking his body back and forth.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” Alice said while patting Vic’s back.

 “No. You’re a meanie: destroying my door and not letting me win…” Vic said.

“I did get carried away, didn’t I?” Alice kisses Vic’s forehead. “We can play your way next time.”

“Promise?” His eyes are still bawling, but he refuses to cry.

“I will if you answer my question. All these dolls are based on real people. Who is this priest based on?”

“I dunno… he was someone I saw dad talking with once when he first settled here. All these dolls were actually created by Victor. He gives the ‘failures’ to me to play with. Do you know him?”

“No. I just find him dashing to look at.”

Alice kisses Vic’s forehead again and walks over to his bed; its size is comparable to a California King. Silk linen drapes over the frame with lounge pillows made out of velvet. The bed interior is quite firm but bouncy enough for any kid to play trampoline on.

“Aaahhn…” Vic yawned; looking at his bed was making him sleepy.

Without using her arms, Alice takes off her shoes with only her feet. Alice took her sweet time climbing the bed. She couldn’t help but smile at every touch and relished the moment. She didn’t even realize she had already dropped Vic by accident. His tiny body bounced up and down; unfortunately, he kept landing on his face. By the time, the bouncing stopped, his face had taken quite a wallop.

“Hey!” Vic said.

He pounced at Alice again. She didn’t dodge this time and involuntarily took Vic’s impact head-on. He had planned to cling onto Alice within reach. He didn’t anticipate how hard Alice’s musculature was. It ended with Vic face down on the bed.

“Uuu… wahhh!” Vic cried.

“Ah!” Alice snapped out of her euphoria. ”I’m sorry, sweetie!” She snuggles Vic and wipes away his tears with her thumb.

“You look like my mom. You even talk like my mom. But…” Vic sniffles. 

“You’re a lot stronger than mom. Who are you?”

“I’m a humble maid here to serve your father’s needs. Nothing else.” Without moving her head, Alice’s peripheral vision focuses back on the fallen priest doll.

“Hmph…” Vic rests his head on Alice’s bosom.

Alice hums a quiet lull to Vic’s ear. There was no rhythm to it nor was there even a song to it. She wanted to create a soft sound for him to sleep well and null the pain. His eyelids grew heavy the longer he listened and let out a happy sigh. Still humming her tune, Alice lays Vic on his headrest pillow and drew the silk blanket over his body. Alice continues to whimsically hum even after backing away from Vic’s bed. 

She walks over to the priest doll and picks up its head to examine the face. The humming stops and a smile pats its head. She decided to take the time to put the priest doll back together. This feat was a simple task, much to Alice’s surprise. The limbs have segments that allow the joints to attach together. Plopping each limb back into place created a fun pop sound like a cork flying off a champagne bottle. The method was still weird as the body parts feel too similar to human flesh. Alice couldn’t help but squirm in doing so. Still, she managed to finish the process and managed to pose the priest doll back to its original form.

“Good night, sir Vic,” Alice said before leaving the room.

Instead of going to Aiden’s door, Alice goes straight to Victor’s door and knocks three times. Many noises behind the door consist of drilling, sawing, and hammering. Alice knocks harder three more times. The workshop noises finally stop.

“Go away, Alice,” Victor said.

“How did you know it was me?” Alice said.

“Your footsteps. They’re quiet… like mom. Vic’s footsteps are like the pitter-patter of rain. Dad’s footsteps copy his royal friends: arrogance. Then there’s Victoria. Despite her lithe figure, she walks with the cadence of an obese man.”

A loud bang pops at the walls between Victoria and Victor’s room.

“I heard that, jackass!” Victoria yells.

“Go back to sleep, you drunk bitch!” Victor yells back. “I can smell the booze from here!”

“Eeeraaagh!” Victoria shrieks.

The smashing of a glass bottle can be heard from within Victoria’s room. After a moment, everything turned silent.

“Please, sir Victor, I wish to ask a question: do you know of the priest, Kurtis Courteous?” Alice said.

“I can neither confirm nor deny this person’s existence,” Victor said.

“I noticed a doll of his likeness is in Vic’s room. I beg you… I just want to know if he’s doing okay.” Alice rests her head against the door.

“You don’t deserve my answer. Now go away and don’t even think about busting my door open. I assure you my door has better reinforcement than Vic’s.”

The whirring of Victor’s workshop revs up again behind the door. A tear ran down Alice’s eye. She quickly wipes off her tear and proceeds to walk towards Aiden’s door. She knocks on the door three times.

“Come in,” Aiden said.

Alice opens and walks through the door. She was surprised at what she found inside: nothing. There’s no furniture or fixture of any kind inside Aiden’s room. There are skids marks along the floor and walls, implying that this used to be a proper bedroom, but now that’s all gone. At the end of the room lies an outside porch where Aiden stares upwards at the clouds blocking the full moon.

Alice approaches Aiden and says, “Is everything okay, master?”

“I am now that you’re here. Tell me… follow the clouds that I’m looking at and tell me what you see.” Aiden said.

Alice strains her eyes at the clouds for a minute. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. Aiden pulls a mini telescope from his pocket and hands it to Alice. Using the telescope allowed Alice to see that there was one particular cloud giving off a prism glow.

“That cloud!” Alice gasped.

“Phosnaut, the flying city that sails through light, is hidden within that cloud. It’s where I hail from. I wish I could go back…”

Aiden goes into the corner of the porch and sits down loosely with his legs spread out. His hand gestures for Alice to sit down with him. Alice disregards his notion and takes a step back.

THE CUBE ALWAYS PROVIDES

Against her will, Alice abides by Aiden’s command and sits down on her knees between his legs. Without saying anything, Aiden runs his hand through Alice’s body and slips off a partial segment of her top. Doing so revealed many scars, old and recent, on Alice’s muscular back; Aiden marveled at the sight with awe.

“Ah… you’re not like my wife after all. You’re more like me. Does everybody at The Cube have scars like these?” Aiden said.

“No,” Alice said. “the training I underwent was optional. I prefer to fight through my problems. Everyday house chores aren’t really my thing. It’s why Mr. Supervisor advised you not to hire me…”

“Pfft, I noticed.” Aiden laughed. “But that’s okay. I’m glad I brought you here.”

Aiden brings out a hand mirror and positions it in front of Alice’s side. He wiggles it around until the hand mirror gave a clear view of one of her fresh scars. This scar looked as if a whip lashed its mark on Alice. Aiden murmured a silent prayer, which causes the entire porch to warm up. A microscopic flame appeared on one end of the fresh scar and began making its way to the other end.

“Hah, hah, hah…” Alice groaned.

The flame is not at all painful. The nonexistent pain is making Alice fool herself into thinking that it’s harmful. The flame reached the other end and disappeared, cauterizing the wound. Alice pulled her top back in place and stood up before any more flames could appear on her body.

“I-I going to check on Vic again!” Alice said; her face flustered at what had just transpired.

Aiden reached his hand out for a second but reeled it back. His hand turned into a fist and gripped it so hard that a small trail of blood dripped off. Tiny flames appeared around his knuckles, melting the blood away.

“Goodnight, Isa-… Alice.” Aiden said.

“Goodnight, master.”

Alice twirled and did a curtsy bow. As she made her way to the door, she could hear Aiden weeping to himself. She decided to ignore it and exited through the door.

TO BE CONTINUED

[nohrajihane]

Casting

Two of my favourite dark comedies are used as inspiration for my film, the two being Heathers (dir. Michael Lehmann,1988) and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Created By Rob McElhenney, 2005-). An aspect I took inspiration form were the character types and dynamics. Specifically for the main character, Faye. Her character was based off the antics of Winona Ryders role of Veronica Sawyer and Kaitlin Olsen as Deandra Reynolds. 

Deandra "Dee" Reynolds is a bartender at Paddy's Pub. She is an active participant of various morally questionable schemes including but not limited to general manipulation, exploiting a baby for financial gain and setting her roommate on fire. Veronica, is an average is a much more sympathetic character, only succumbing to her downfall due to years of pent up vengeance towards her bullies, going on a killing spree with her boyfriend before realising the error of his schemes and attempting to make right. Both of these characters present as deceivingly innocent, achieved by a relatively normal appearance appropriate to trends of the time.

Both Dee and Veronica are often seen interacting with the driving forces in their lives, the gang and Jason Dean respectively. They are both spoken down to and belittled yet if given the opportunity, demonstrate great power over those around them. They are also both dressed rather tamely, wearing era appropriate attire, making them seem rather normal when in reality they are criminals.

Although a hugely minor character, Faye's boyfriend takes inspiration from the minor characters in both pieces of media, specifically the cruel tendencies of Veronicas ex, JD, and the gullibility of Charlie from Its Always Sunny. 

My dream cast for Faye would be Mila Kunis, specifically her during her time portraying Jackie Burkhart in That 70s Show (Created by Mark Brazill, Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner, 1998-2006). Kunis started the role at 14, however was styled maturity and appropriately with light makeup and stylish clothes. Although that 70s show is very different from my film, Mila Kunis displays her range in films such as Black Swan (dir. Darren Aronofsky, 2010).

[spryfilm]

“Wind River” (2017)

Drama/Thriller

Running Time: 111 minutes

Written and Directed by: Taylor Sheridan

Featuring: Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Gil Birmingham and Graham Greene

Cory Lambert: “I’d like to tell you it gets easier, but it doesn’t. If there’s a comfort, you get used to the pain if you let yourself, I went to a grief seminar in Casper. Don’t know why, just, It hurt so much, I was searching for anything that could make it go away That’s what I wanted this seminar to do, make it go away. The instructor come up to me after the seminar was over, sat beside me and said, “I got good news and bad news. Bad news is you’ll never be the same. You’ll never be whole. Ever. What was taken from you can’t be replaced. You’re daughter’s gone. Now the good news, as soon as you accept that, as soon as you let yourself suffer, allow yourself to grieve, You’ll be able to visit her in your mind, and remember all the joy she gave you. All the love she knew. Right now, you don’t even have that, do you?” He said, “that’s what not accepting this will rob from you”. If you shy from the pain of it, then you rob yourself of every memory of her, my friend. Every one. From her first step to her last smile. You’ll kill ’em all. Take the pain, Take the pain, Martin. It’s the only way to keep her with you.”

A director that is given a broad canvass to work with as well as top talent in front of as well as behind the camera can count themselves very lucky, but when the film they work on turns out as well as “Wind River” (2017) it is an auspicious occasion indeed, especially when that director is a screenwriter as well. In this case writer/director Taylor Sheridan has already had a pretty good start to his career with his first produced screenplay being the incredibly successful and criminally underrated “Sicario” (2015), directed by Canadian auteur Denis Villeneuve. Sheridan then quickly followed up that triumph with the Oscar nominated screenplay for the David McKenzie directed “Hell or High Water” (2016). The success of both of these films, both making money as well as being critically lauded, meant that Sheridan had the power to direct his next screenplay. I must say this was a wise choice as this is a truly great film, it seems September has been a very good month for film releases in general.

Sheridan has been able to line up two extremely experienced leads in the always-reliable Jeremy Renner as well as the talented Elizabeth Olsen who after an auspicious debut in “Martha Marcy May Marlene” (2011) has finally found a film that matches her early promise. Sheridan has written a film that is at once a character piece but is more than that, in dealing with familial loss as well as racial issues that haunt not only the US but almost every country in the world. He asks what does it mean to be a man, or a women (although to a lesser extent), where do we come from as people and the brutality that one person (or persons) can inflict on another for nothing more than the promise of a thrill or a boredom breaker? It seems that Sheridan is always querying the human condition and all that entails, something that possibly comes from his acting background as well any education he may have.

The film is et in the Winter on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent Cory Lambert discovers the body of Natalie Hanson, an 18-year old resident of the reservation. Her corpse is frozen solid, she is without shoes and proper winter attire, and there is a blood stain on her pants at her groin. Rookie FBI special agent Jane Banner arrives to determine whether a murder has been committed, as the federal government has jurisdiction over capital crimes on reservations.

This film rests squarely on Jeremy Renner’s shoulders as the lead, as well the emotional tether that really binds all the characters in this film together. He does a wonderful job as being the ‘know everything’ character that really leads his co-star around the general area they are operating in. Renner has been nominated for best actor twice at the Oscars, it is roles like this where you see his strengths as an actor (in particular a film actor) who can really get under the skin of whomever he portrays. Even in his MCU movies as the archer Hawkeye he brings something deeper to the character, as well as the movie, than he needs to. Over the past fifteen years since his lead role in “Dahmer” (2002) Renner has been an actor to watch, it is no fluke that he gives his all to his work, which you can plainly see onscreen. It is a little unfortunate then that the character played by Elizabeth Olsen really is nothing more than a fill in for the audience. She is playing a fish out of water right up to the end of the movie, which is a shame because she is a diminished character, as well as this being a tired trope in a film that is original. In saying that I understand why Sheridan has created this role, it is a way to answer any questions or situations that may crop up for the audience. The highlights of the rest of the cast are two Native American actors Graham Greene and Gil Birmingham who have long been around in a variety of films so have experience to burn in films of this ilk. They both offer very different aspects of tribal life as well as the reflection of how Native Americans are seen by not only non-Native Americans but by the government where they are still being persecuted in more insidious ways than ever. Both actors represent where their people have finally ended up with nothing more than isolation and silence – something that can’t be taken away from them, until the actions taken by some non-Native American visitors to their small isolated and insular world.

Sheridan definitely writes from a male perspective which of course is his prerogative, women in his movies are all either out of time or out of touch or both. Even taking that into account this is still a beautiful movie that, like many other movies today uses the geographic location of its setting as a definite character – more often than not the main character has many of the same elements as the area they live in, this is more obvious as you work through each of his movies. In fact it is this very hostile environment that is responsible for (indirectly) all of the death that has taken place, believe me there is a lot of it. The way in which the loss by all the main players in this film has been framed is done so well. Not only are all the people isolated by their own emotions, but they are landlocked by the continent itself, then the weather plays a major part with all the inherent dangers that it represents (literally) – which we see twice in the movie. Sheridan has made the main character the only person with any real agency, he has taken responsibility for many things in his life, we see him throughout the movie making his own mark, with his own actions – we see him tracking animals, offering advice, making his own bullets, not afraid about owning up to loss and advising a father on what happens if grief is not embraced in a conscious way. This is different to all the other characters as they seem to stumble around lost in the physical or emotional world.

As I have already said this is a film about loss as well as the consequence of loss, what it means to lose a part of life that will never come back. This loss is physical, the loss of life, but is also the loss of identity whether that be as a father, or, in the wider context, the loss of Nationhood, what that does to a people and how this can lead down self destructive paths. We see small elements of personal self-destruction as well as, in many instances self-sabotage. One of those losses is what becomes the inciting incident, where choices are made along sexual, political and racial lines, people go too far in their decisions and its too late to go back on them – something the US could take a page from in its dealings with its own people as well as on the international stage.

If you enjoyed Sheridan’s other films you will love this. It is a murder mystery with layers that go deep; they help to illustrate the effects of loss, a society on the edge of disappearing as well as what can happen when people actually care for others. There are many elements to a Taylor Sheridan movie, these are all present here, the older wider man, someone who is clueless to what is really going in and of course a crime. I recommend this film highly and I would not be surprised to see Sheridan shortlisted for a screenplay Oscar in a few months.

When a Native American teenager is found dead, FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olson, center) works with local police (Graham Greene, right, Hugh Dillon) to figure out what happened.

Heathers (1989) Directed by Michael Lehmann Shown: Winona Ryder (as Veronica Sawyer)

DVD & Blu-ray review: “Wind River” (2017) “Wind River" (2017) Drama/Thriller Running Time: 111 minutes Written and Directed by: Taylor Sheridan Featuring: Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Gil Birmingham and Graham Greene…

[spryfilm]

“Wind River” (2017)

Drama/Thriller

Running Time: 111 minutes

Written and Directed by: Taylor Sheridan

Featuring: Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Gil Birmingham and Graham Greene

Cory Lambert: “I’d like to tell you it gets easier, but it doesn’t. If there’s a comfort, you get used to the pain if you let yourself, I went to a grief seminar in Casper. Don’t know why, just, It hurt so much, I was searching for anything that could make it go away That’s what I wanted this seminar to do, make it go away. The instructor come up to me after the seminar was over, sat beside me and said, “I got good news and bad news. Bad news is you’ll never be the same. You’ll never be whole. Ever. What was taken from you can’t be replaced. You’re daughter’s gone. Now the good news, as soon as you accept that, as soon as you let yourself suffer, allow yourself to grieve, You’ll be able to visit her in your mind, and remember all the joy she gave you. All the love she knew. Right now, you don’t even have that, do you?” He said, “that’s what not accepting this will rob from you”. If you shy from the pain of it, then you rob yourself of every memory of her, my friend. Every one. From her first step to her last smile. You’ll kill ’em all. Take the pain, Take the pain, Martin. It’s the only way to keep her with you.”

A director that is given a broad canvass to work with as well as top talent in front of as well as behind the camera can count themselves very lucky, but when the film they work on turns out as well as “Wind River” (2017) it is an auspicious occasion indeed, especially when that director is a screenwriter as well. In this case writer/director Taylor Sheridan has already had a pretty good start to his career with his first produced screenplay being the incredibly successful and criminally underrated “Sicario” (2015), directed by Canadian auteur Denis Villeneuve. Sheridan then quickly followed up that triumph with the Oscar nominated screenplay for the David McKenzie directed “Hell or High Water” (2016). The success of both of these films, both making money as well as being critically lauded, meant that Sheridan had the power to direct his next screenplay. I must say this was a wise choice as this is a truly great film, it seems September has been a very good month for film releases in general.

Sheridan has been able to line up two extremely experienced leads in the always-reliable Jeremy Renner as well as the talented Elizabeth Olsen who after an auspicious debut in “Martha Marcy May Marlene” (2011) has finally found a film that matches her early promise. Sheridan has written a film that is at once a character piece but is more than that, in dealing with familial loss as well as racial issues that haunt not only the US but almost every country in the world. He asks what does it mean to be a man, or a women (although to a lesser extent), where do we come from as people and the brutality that one person (or persons) can inflict on another for nothing more than the promise of a thrill or a boredom breaker? It seems that Sheridan is always querying the human condition and all that entails, something that possibly comes from his acting background as well any education he may have.

The film is et in the Winter on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent Cory Lambert discovers the body of Natalie Hanson, an 18-year old resident of the reservation. Her corpse is frozen solid, she is without shoes and proper winter attire, and there is a blood stain on her pants at her groin. Rookie FBI special agent Jane Banner arrives to determine whether a murder has been committed, as the federal government has jurisdiction over capital crimes on reservations.

This film rests squarely on Jeremy Renner’s shoulders as the lead, as well the emotional tether that really binds all the characters in this film together. He does a wonderful job as being the ‘know everything’ character that really leads his co-star around the general area they are operating in. Renner has been nominated for best actor twice at the Oscars, it is roles like this where you see his strengths as an actor (in particular a film actor) who can really get under the skin of whomever he portrays. Even in his MCU movies as the archer Hawkeye he brings something deeper to the character, as well as the movie, than he needs to. Over the past fifteen years since his lead role in “Dahmer” (2002) Renner has been an actor to watch, it is no fluke that he gives his all to his work, which you can plainly see onscreen. It is a little unfortunate then that the character played by Elizabeth Olsen really is nothing more than a fill in for the audience. She is playing a fish out of water right up to the end of the movie, which is a shame because she is a diminished character, as well as this being a tired trope in a film that is original. In saying that I understand why Sheridan has created this role, it is a way to answer any questions or situations that may crop up for the audience. The highlights of the rest of the cast are two Native American actors Graham Greene and Gil Birmingham who have long been around in a variety of films so have experience to burn in films of this ilk. They both offer very different aspects of tribal life as well as the reflection of how Native Americans are seen by not only non-Native Americans but by the government where they are still being persecuted in more insidious ways than ever. Both actors represent where their people have finally ended up with nothing more than isolation and silence – something that can’t be taken away from them, until the actions taken by some non-Native American visitors to their small isolated and insular world.

Sheridan definitely writes from a male perspective which of course is his prerogative, women in his movies are all either out of time or out of touch or both. Even taking that into account this is still a beautiful movie that, like many other movies today uses the geographic location of its setting as a definite character – more often than not the main character has many of the same elements as the area they live in, this is more obvious as you work through each of his movies. In fact it is this very hostile environment that is responsible for (indirectly) all of the death that has taken place, believe me there is a lot of it. The way in which the loss by all the main players in this film has been framed is done so well. Not only are all the people isolated by their own emotions, but they are landlocked by the continent itself, then the weather plays a major part with all the inherent dangers that it represents (literally) – which we see twice in the movie. Sheridan has made the main character the only person with any real agency, he has taken responsibility for many things in his life, we see him throughout the movie making his own mark, with his own actions – we see him tracking animals, offering advice, making his own bullets, not afraid about owning up to loss and advising a father on what happens if grief is not embraced in a conscious way. This is different to all the other characters as they seem to stumble around lost in the physical or emotional world.

As I have already said this is a film about loss as well as the consequence of loss, what it means to lose a part of life that will never come back. This loss is physical, the loss of life, but is also the loss of identity whether that be as a father, or, in the wider context, the loss of Nationhood, what that does to a people and how this can lead down self destructive paths. We see small elements of personal self-destruction as well as, in many instances self-sabotage. One of those losses is what becomes the inciting incident, where choices are made along sexual, political and racial lines, people go too far in their decisions and its too late to go back on them – something the US could take a page from in its dealings with its own people as well as on the international stage.

If you enjoyed Sheridan’s other films you will love this. It is a murder mystery with layers that go deep; they help to illustrate the effects of loss, a society on the edge of disappearing as well as what can happen when people actually care for others. There are many elements to a Taylor Sheridan movie, these are all present here, the older wider man, someone who is clueless to what is really going in and of course a crime. I recommend this film highly and I would not be surprised to see Sheridan shortlisted for a screenplay Oscar in a few months.

“Wind River” is out now in cinemas only.

Heathers (1989) Directed by Michael Lehmann Shown: Winona Ryder (as Veronica Sawyer)

When a Native American teenager is found dead, FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olson, center) works with local police (Graham Greene, right, Hugh Dillon) to figure out what happened.

Film review: “Wind River” (2017) “Wind River" (2017) Drama/Thriller Running Time: 111 minutes Written and Directed by: Taylor Sheridan Featuring: Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Gil Birmingham and Graham Greene…