This Bloody Country

Director's Statement

This is a simple story in a sense, but within that simple framework of a family traveling, pursued by danger, there contains considerably complex ideas. America was founded in violence--slavery and genocide--and we have never properly grappled with that and are therefore condemned to continue in violence. The title alludes to this fact. We continue to deal with patriarchy and the effect that violence has on us and this story grapples with both of these problems. It's a period piece, set in 1869, which offers some distance to approach these issues, while reminding us that we have not come quite so far as we would like to believe. A period story is always really about our current time. And if one is making a western now, it can only have relevance if it subverts the genre in some way, as our story certainly does. Given its time frame, the setting in the wide open of southern Utah, and a story that deals with guns and violence, it will of course be considered a western. And although I love that particular genre, I'm frankly agnostic on genre. What matters to me is story. I wrote this story several years ago and it has only become more relevant and my devotion to it has only become stronger over time. I have never seen such a scenario or these people portrayed on screen before, and the dynamic between them is compelling. These are people who view one another as strange, and they wouldn't have chosen one another for such a challenging situation. How can they work together for their very survival? What are the consequences of choosing violence on those who are the perpetrators, regardless of whether it may be justified? In addition to these questions, the story deals with what can happen when women are respected enough to be empowered and how that changes their own view of their value and position. This is less a story about how the plot plays out, or big surprises, but what the effects are on these people.