Pioneer

The incredible thing about bedtime stories is that they can bleed into your dreams when told correctly. What begins as a story told by a father tucking in his son in David Lowery’s 2011 film, Pioneer, quickly turns much darker and cryptic and poignant. Danger, shootings, scalpings, and death weave their way in, yet all the while the young boy remains entranced. The film is simple, but powerful. With only two characters carrying the dialogue-driven story, Lowery called upon musician and modern-day rambler Will Oldham to play the father, because his songs and weathered voice often recall the folktales of yore. His four-year-old costar Myles Brooks has the wide eyes and inquisitive spirit to bring Oldham’s story into the realm of possibility.