DAMSEL

US, 2018, 113 minutes, Colour.
Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska, David Zellner, Nathan Zellner, Robert Forster, Joseph Belingerie.
Directed by David Zellner, Nathan Zellner.

When we see the word “damsel� in the title of the film, the expectations are probably to find something of a “damsel in distress�. The damsel in this film does experience some distress – but she is one of the last women who needs to be rescued!.

This is a Western. But it is not the kind of Western we are accustomed to. There are beautiful location sequences, in the mountains, as well as a town by the sea. There are unusual characters, especially some old hands in the town, some men roving the wilds, people living in isolated huts.

We soon learn that the tone of this film will be different. In the vast deserts, with towering mesas, a lone man is sitting waiting for a stagecoach. He is a Parson, disillusioned with his work and his congregation and their lack of interest, wanting to go back home East. Another young man turns up, his wife having died in childbirth, wanting to go West and make new beginning. The former Parson sheds his clothes and gives them to the young man and wanders out into the desert. Where to from here? (Somebody remarked that this is in the vein of the Coen Brothers.)

At the opening, we see some joyful scenes, the two protagonists, Samuel and Penelope, dancing in a town celebration, an eager band, smiles on the faces of the two. Surely a romance in progress or coming up!

Well, not exactly.

The first half of the film focuses on Samuel, played by Robert Pattinson as an earnest young man in the West, and a gold tooth which makes him more striking, but wandering the West, eventually arriving at the town in a rowing boat with a big box containing a diminutive horse – a gift for Penelope. But, what Samuel is doing in the town, despite some derision from the old fellows, is looking for a Parson and take him back to his town to perform the marriage ceremony with Penelope. The Parson is dead drunk, sees himself as a failure – and is the young man we saw earlier who wanted to go West to make a new beginning.

The first half of the film then is the trek with Samuel and the Parson going back to find Penelope so that Samuel can get on his knees and propose to her. He feels she has been abducted by a rival and he is there to free her, give her a ring – and the horse.

As might be expected, it doesn’t all turn out as Samuel expected – nor as the audience expected. Penelope is no damsel in distress and Samuel has misunderstood the situation completely. And then there is a twist in the plot for audiences to discover.

The second part of the film focuses on Penelope, her response to Samuel and the consequences, her hold over the Parson, not trusting him, and their trek back to the town. It is a reverse proceeding, troubling for the Parson, encountering the wild man that Samuel and the Parson had confronted earlier in the film as well as a Native American offering an occasion for some reflection on rights and prejudice.

Where are they going? Do they know? How much does it matter? It is not spoiling the ending to indicate that the ending is quite open, leaving the audience to determine just what they think will happen to Penelope, or not. Penelope is played by Mia Wasakowska in a very vigorous performance.

The film was written and directed by brothers Nathan and David Zellner. They both appear in the film, one as the Parson encountered during the journey, the other the brother of the alleged abductor of Penelope.

Using the Western conventions – but tongue-in-cheek.

1. The title? Expectations? The reality of the title and its irony?

2. The American West, the weird west? The locations, the majestic canyons, the desert, waiting for the stagecoach? The town, the dancing? The town by the sea, the bar, the travels through the countryside, the scenery? The hut, the confrontation? The picture of the West? Musical score, the songs – especially Samuel’s song for Penelope?

3. The tone, the prologue, the former pastor, waiting for the stagecoach in the isolation of the mesas, wanting to go east, disillusioned by his mission, those unwilling to listen, his stripping, giving his clothes and Bible to the waiting traveller? The traveller, the death of his wife in childbirth, wanting to make a new beginning?

4. The second prologue, Samuel and Penelope, the joy and exhilaration of the dancing? The band?

5. Robert Pattinson as Samuel, his age, bearing, manner, arriving by sea, with a small horse in the box, going to the bar, the taunts of the men at the bar, whisky and his stomach? Seeking the parson? His drunkenness, sobering him up in the sea, payment, the offer of extra? Telling the story of Penelope, having the engagement ring, the promise to kneel and propose? The gift of the horse, Butterscotch, for her? Travelling with the parson, bonding? Camping out? Rufus, at the shore, the chase, his falling over the cliff, shots being fired? Telling the story of Anton, and the abduction of Penelope? Samuel coming to confront him and win her?

6. The parson, his role in the prologue, getting the parson’s clothes, his drinking, sobering up, being hired for the wedding, the telegram, the promise of money, a fearful man?

7. Arrival at the hut, the setup, the parson with the rifle, Samuel hiding behind the outhouse, the timing, the shooting from the house, Anton going to pee, his being shot? Samuel firing into him? Penelope and her anger, firing, the true story, Samuel and his delusions, the gift of the pony, the ring, his attempted proposal, her spurning him? Her anger, Samuel going into the outhouse and killing himself?

8. The parson, his fear, Penelope controlling him, packing the dynamite around him? Her control, the talk, her blowing up the hut? The parson and his possible escape, deciding not to? Penelope forcing him to dig the grave, his eulogy, reading from the Bible, Penelope and her prayer? Penelope sleeping on her husband’s grave? The intensity of her love?

9. The two and the traveling, the dangers, Penelope and her character, strong, hard?

10. The encounter with Rufus, his being thought dead, his bandaged head, the blood? Talking with Penelope, the anger about his brother’s death? Seeing the grave? Proposing? Penelope saying she was pregnant? The Indian firing the arrow, killing Rufus, his staggering, falling on the detonator and the explosion?

11. The Indian, 20th century language, conversation? Dress, manner, killing Rufus to save Penelope? The conversations with the parson? The parson talking about prejudices, never having met Native Americans, guessing his tribe, wanting to learn the ways, the language? The Indian turning him down? The parson getting nearer sleeping and the Indian with the axe? The irony of stealing the horses?

12. Penelope the parson, going to the town, parting ways, the parson’s proposal, her hitting him with the rock?

13. The story leaving them at the edge of the town – and what…?