Alamode Film
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Western by and with Viggo Mortensen – “The Dead Don’t Hurt”
The Danish actor Viggo Mortensen became world famous as the actor of Aragorn in “Lord of the Rings”. Three years ago he made his directorial debut: In “Falling” he processed his long-standing experiences with the decline of his parents, whom he accompanied and cared for during the years they suffered from Alzheimer’s. Now his second film is coming to cinemas: “The Dead don’t Hurt”. The actor has already played in westerns such as “Appaloosa” and “Hidalgo” – now he is directing one himself for the first time.
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For Viggo Mortensen, this film did not begin as a western, but as a film about a woman who is curious about foreign cultures, who loves to travel and, like Joan of Arc, is a combative free spirit: a woman who is not specifically his mother, but whose personality is inspired by her, and to whom the film is dedicated. Because it was she who told him many stories, took him to the cinema at an early age, and thus also inspired his career.
Image: Alamode FilmA woman like Joan of Arc
So he thought about what world he could take her into and decided on the pioneer years in the Wild West: “A society in which there were not many laws, which was dominated by a few powerful and corrupt men who often enforced their will with violence.” A situation in which a headstrong, strong woman rubs people up the wrong way and finds it difficult to be herself.
Two outsiders in the Wild West
This woman is played by the German-Luxembourgish woman Vicky Krieps, who becomes the French-Canadian Vivienne in the film and meets the Dane played by Viggo Mortensen himself: a quiet observer on the sidelines who watches with a smile as she dumps her male companion. The two then start talking and recognize themselves as outsiders, immigrants from abroad: Olsen and Vivienne Le Coudy.
Image: Alamode FilmNo, she is not from France. Where she comes from is a long story that the film takes a long time to cover. Viggo Mortensen did not actually want to play this man; he only took on the role because the much younger actor canceled at short notice because of another project. But the sensation in this team is Vicky Krieps, currently one of the most exciting actresses in international cinema. She gives this often rather brusque woman a likeable and approachable nature, full of contradictions between strength and vulnerability. With her tremendous presence, she magically draws attention without having to vie for attention. But they also work well as a couple: this older, reserved man, a variation of the Western loner, who is self-sufficient, who does not need much to live, but is enchanted by this woman.
Man and woman at eye level
A very fine love story emerges: a man and a woman who, uncharacteristically for the time, meet on equal terms. Vivienne moves with him to Nevada, to a barren, remote piece of land, where they build a life together. But then the civil war begins and Olsen decides to enlist voluntarily, and as always, she makes her opinion very clear: “This is not your problem, this is not your home!” she cries out indignantly. “Now it is. It’s not just about money. Fighting against slavery is simply the right thing to do!” he replies. “What if I don’t wait for you?” she threatens. “Be my wife,” he replies. “You are everything to me, you are the sea to me!” “Screw the sea!” she cries, “You can’t own the sea!” And: “I will never marry, not you and not anyone else!”
In any case, Vivienne does not correspond to the classic image of women in the Wild West, and “The Dead Don’t Hurt” is also one of the modern Westerns that takes a critical look at the founding myths.
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The barren beauty of Nevada’s landscapes from a female perspective
Like Kelly Reichardt’s Meeks Cutoff, this film is also largely told from a female perspective. When Oslen goes off to war, the film stays with Vivienne, watching her assert herself in this world, how she stands up to pushy men in the saloon where she takes a job – but also how she comes up short one night when faced with a hothead who lies in wait for her alone.
On the one hand, Viggo Mortensen evokes the visual appeal of the classic western, with the barren beauty of the Nevada landscapes, but at the same time undermines it with this very tender, very dignified love story with an almost feminist approach. Mortensen not only wrote the screenplay, directed the film and played one of the main roles, he also composed the soundtrack: in a calm, melancholic mood, with delicate piano and lots of violin, he sets strong accents.
Image: Alamode FilmErratic structure
There is a lot to like about the film: the love of the classic western in contrast to the toxic masculinity of cowboys and gunslingers, a strong, determined but nonetheless feminine heroine, who lets Vicky Krieps shine through many facets with her nuanced and powerful acting, and the atmospheric soundtrack. Unfortunately, the film keeps falling apart because Viggo Mortensen breaks up the linear narrative with erratic flashbacks that don’t really work dramaturgically and that bring unnecessary unrest to the narrative. There are also dream scenes from Vivienne’s childhood, with a knight riding through the forest in full armor with a sword in his hand. A film that is definitely worth seeing, with a few minor flaws.
As of 07.08.2024
