Series
Once upon a time the west - Netflix: Utah, United States, 1857. Sara and her son are waiting for a guide to move westward, where she hopes to rejoin her husband at Crooks Springs. Pratt and Abish, on the other hand, are two newly married Mormons on their way to the settlement of Brigham Young, governor of the state and president of the Mormon Church. Two Moons is an Indian girl who escapes from her tribe; Isaac a famed hunter who lives in the forest; and Dellinger the captain of the only Union regiment deployed in those lands. The lives of all these characters will intertwine in an adventure of epic dimensions.
This six-episode Netflix miniseries is a colossal western, unfolding in front of the viewer a pharaonic universe of settings and characters. The result is a deep immersion in the historical reality of Utah in 1857, alternating historical events with fictional plots, showing the illusion of building the future in a frontier land, but also with all its rawness and drama. Once upon a time in the West is a raw, heartbreaking work, with a high dose of physical violence and unpleasant situations. And, at the same time, it has enough intelligence not to be morbid or sensationalist; it renounces to wallow in violence and sordidness, using them only as a resource to reflect the harsh reality demanded by the story, without turning them into a visual spectacle.
The characters have their edges, their lights and shadows, they hide their past and disguise their intentions, which makes them tremendously attractive and plausible. They evolve, sometimes modify their perceptions, and it is clear that they are not the same as they were at the beginning of the story. In this sense, the series is not relativistic, but optimistic; it exudes an optimism inexorably anchored in weak human nature. Thus, every heroic action, perhaps minimal and marginal, is a light in an environment of evil, pain and cynicism. There are questions about the origin of evil and transcendence that are difficult to answer, and that is why sometimes actions elucidate the mystery better than words. The performances are fabulous, both Taylor Kitsch and Betty Gilpin in the leading roles as well as the supporting actors who represent the perverse side.
