Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
In 1856, two women forge a close connection despite their isolation on the American frontier.
The World to Come is a lyrical, intimate period drama elevated by exceptional performances from Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby, whose restrained yet deeply felt work carries the film's emotional weight. The cinematography by André Chemetoff is strikingly beautiful, capturing the bleak and expansive frontier landscape in ways that mirror the characters' inner lives. The plot, while sensitively handled, follows a somewhat familiar arc of forbidden love and repression, and the ending, while emotionally honest, resolves with quiet resignation rather than any particular surprise or power. The film is distinguished by its voice and craft but doesn't quite transcend its genre conventions to claim singular novelty.