[yasr_overall_rating]
It’s the Wild West, circa 1870. Samuel Alabaster, an affluent pioneer, ventures across the American frontier to marry the love of his life, Penelope. As his group traverses the west, the once-simple journey grows treacherous, blurring the lines between hero, villain, and damsel.
In the tradition of revisionist westerns like “Johnny Guitar” or “Appaloosa” comes “Damsel,” a film that is at once, strange and compelling. The film opens with Robert Forster as a tired old preacher waiting in the middle of a Utah desert for the stagecoach to ferry him back east. He has become disillusioned with the west, which has not been altogether kind to him. After a languid discussion with a stranger, Forster suddenly declares that he has had it. He jumps up, sheds his preacher clothes and runs ranting into the barren landscape wearing only his faded red union suit.
Cut to Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska eagerly dancing away at a hoedown in Oregon as the opening credits roll, albeit briefly. Next, an abrupt catapult to the shores of the Pacific Northwest, where Pattinson arrives in a small boat as affluent pioneer Samuel Alabaster. He opens a crate, out from which walks a miniature horse. From there, Alabaster sets out to find a fellow named Parson Henry – the stranger, in fact, who sat with Robert Forster at the stagecoach pickup station. Parson Henry will serve as Alabaster’s guide into the wilderness.
Pattinson, in a role a million miles removed from the suave and tender Edward Cullen of “Twilight Saga” fame, is earnest and toothy here. His Alabaster is intent on catching up with Penelope, played by Wasikowska, apparently abducted by the nefarious Anton Cornell. Though Alabaster is palpably smitten with Penelope, the reasons for her disappearance are less obvious. Did she run away? Is she hiding?
The miniature horse is a proposed wedding present – a way for Alabaster to demonstrate both his relative affluence as well as presumed devotion for Penelope. Given that the dwarfish beast of burden figures so prominently in the film’s trailers, it is a pleasant surprise to learn that “Damsel” is about the people, not a circus animal used as a gimmick or plot device.
Surprisingly, the film’s promotional material describes it as a comedy. If that’s the case, many of the jokes fell flat and had – unintentionally or not – more of the flavor of drama. When Alabaster and Penelope are reunited, the sparks fly, but in an unexpected fashion. The exchanges are less funny than they are angry. Clearly, Alabaster has read too much into Penelope’s affection toward him, and he takes the rejection badly.
Somewhat frustrating is that the moral of this fable is difficult to discern. The movie’s focus jumps from one character to another without warning. Only near the end does it become clear that this is a story about Penelope. She is headstrong and independent, as well as picky about her suitors. Wasikowska carries the role well, with demonstrable confidence and vitality.
Refreshingly, some nice lines of dialog break from the tendency of screenwriters to lapse into cliché. After Parson Henry bemoans he just wants someone to love, someone to give his love to, Penelope replies indifferently, “You are not exclusive in that regard.” Then she turns her head and rides away.
Unfortunately, the film suffers from a lack of clarity about the protagonist until very late in the offing. Further, the miniature horse seems unnecessary, even distracting to the whole affair. Nonetheless, the Wasatch Range scenes in Summit County, Utah are breathtaking, and the narrative certainly has something to say about stereotypes associated with the old west.
Available on DVD, Digital HD & On Demand September 18th
