The Homesman (2014)
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A woman and a rugged man must escort three mentally ill women across the harsh Great Plains in the 1850s.
The story
In 1854, Mary Bee Cuddy, a determined woman in the Nebraska Territory, finds herself tasked with escorting three women suffering from 'prairie madness' to a sanctuary in Iowa. To survive the journey across the unforgiving Great Plains, she forms an uneasy alliance with George Briggs, a rough-edged man she finds on the trail. Together, they must navigate the dangers of the wilderness, including hostile tribes and the elements, while dealing with the psychological toll of isolation. The journey becomes a grueling test of endurance for both the women and the men tasked with their protection in the harsh reality of the 19th-century American frontier.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1854, Mary Bee Cuddy, a woman seeking a new life in the Nebraska Territory, is tasked with escorting three women suffering from 'prairie madness' to a sanctuary in Iowa. She enlists the help of George Briggs, a rough-mannered man she finds on the trail. Their journey across the Great Plains is plagued by hardships, including a confrontation with the Pawnee and the loss of Cuddy's way in the wilderness. After Cuddy dies during the journey, Briggs continues alone with the remaining women. They reach a hotel where Briggs, in a fit of rage, sets the building on fire and leaves the women to find their own way. He eventually reaches the destination, where he meets Altha Carter. He later finds a moment of connection with a maid, Tabitha Hutchinson, before heading back west on a river ferry, while the memory of Cuddy's sacrifice remains behind him.
- First release year
- 2014
- Runtime (minutes)
- 123
- Production countries
- United States; France
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tommy Lee Jones
- Writers
- Tommy Lee Jones · screenplay; Kieran Fitzgerald · screenplay; Wesley Oliver · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Tommy Lee Jones · George Briggs; Hilary Swank · Mary Bee Cuddy; Meryl Streep · Altha Carter; Miranda Otto · Theoline Belknap; Grace Gummer · Arabella Sours; Sonja Richter · Gro Svendsen; John Lithgow · Reverend Dowd; James Spader · Aloysius Duffy
- Genres
- Western; drama
- Themes
- harsh life of early settlers; feminist western
- Tone and mood
- harsh; bleak; unsentimental
- Premise and plot tags
- Western; Historical Drama; Frontier
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1988 novel by Glendon Swarthout
- Reception
- The film received mostly positive reviews from critics, with praise for the lead performances, cinematography, and score.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 81%; Metacritic · score: 68 · scale: 100 · review count: 43
- Awards and nominations
- Palme d'Or · main competition · 2014 · competed
- Production trivia
- The title refers to the task of taking emigrants back home.; The film was produced by Luc Besson.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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