Filmmaker Statement

I am captivated by stories set in the American West, particularly of the settlers and homesteaders whose grit and determination were their compass against an unforgiving, wild territory. I am fascinated by the elderly ranchers and farmers who worked well into their 70s tending their land. This sparked an idea to tell the story of a lone widower’s fight for survival, even when all the odds were stacked against her. In the late 1800s, the American West was rapidly changing as the Transatlantic Railroad began connecting the entire country, disrupting and fostering growth in the small towns scattered throughout the western territories. Thematically, I want to explore how self-imposed isolation often accompanies grief and how we often lock ourselves away from the world to protect ourselves after a trauma or a loss. This film cracks open that illusion of protection that keeps us trapped in our pain, allowing our wounds to fester and distort us. As C.S. Lewis put it: “If you want to m