The Dead Don't Hurt

Viggo Mortensen's second outing as a writer and director is a Western tale starring Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread) and Mortensen as an immigrant couple trying to make their way in 1860s California. Co-starring Danny Huston, Garret Dillahunt and Solly McLeod, the film premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

'Mortensen’s narrative structure... frontloads the lawlessness and mayhem we expect from a western, then gradually introduces the tenderness and moral integrity that give this film its true raison d’être. Framed in a style that emphasises the relationship between character and landscape... this is a portrait of a passionate woman determined to stand up for herself in an unforgiving world dominated by ruthless men.' (TIFF).

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