Vick's picks: Wind River, My Oxford Year

 - by Vick Silkenpen
   Movie Critic

Wind River: This neo-Western crime film, which did not receive enough buzz when it was released in 2017, is now available on Netflix. Taylor Sheridan of Yellowstone fame wrote and directed this trilogy of the modern American West (Sicario, Hell or High Water).

Jeremy Renner (before his 7-ton snow plow accident) plays a melancholy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tracker named Cory Lambert trying to solve the murder of a Native American girl he knew on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. Elizabeth Olsen soon enters the investigation as FBI Agent Banner from the East, who struggles to adapt to the extreme winter requirements of the countryside.

The autopsy on the girl’s body reveals that she ran for miles in subzero weather, which finally killed her, and there were indications of rape and beating. Banner discovers she has an unidentified boyfriend connected to some oil drilling operations, and he could be a person of interest. However, she needs Lambert’s help to navigate the complex, frozen terrain to find the drilling camp.

Actor Graham Greene does an excellent job in his supporting role as a tribal cop who tags along with the investigation right up to a terrifying showdown.

This film taps into the continuing problem of the disappearances of many Indigenous women in the U.S. and their plight as victims of sexual assault and murder. The depictions of grief caused by such things are one of the main themes Sheridan does so well, along with a slow-burning pace that adds to the dark tone.

My Oxford Year: Never let it be said that I can’t enjoy a romantic film because I consider it too shallow and cheesy. On the contrary, if everything is lined up competently in a film, the emotional impact can at times override the more cerebral analytics. 

Such is the case with this story of a young and naive American woman (Sofia Carson) who comes to Oxford University with a scholarship and plans for a future life of financial success. But life has a way of becoming messier and spontaneous after she becomes involved with one of her young teachers, played in “Hugh Grant-ish” fashion by Corey Mylchreest.

The poetic chemistry between the two seems good enough to pull off a standard rom-com, but everything takes a turn that aligns in many ways with Ryan O’Neal and Ali McGraw in Love Story, trotting out the tragic trope. This lapse in originality does not detract from the impact of the challenging relationship built up to that point by the leading actors, as it still has that touching emotional wallop many of us desire from this genre to begin with, which covers over any concerns about clichés in the plot. 

The charm holds it all together. Love can be that way, ya know. The Oxford setting is also a significant advantage for captivating the viewers. It is a commendable Netflix original that may just pleasantly surprise you. 

The Gayly. 10/20/2025 @ 11:15 a.m. CST.