Bruno Teeschini is Edmond, a well-off French businessman operating in Mississippi during the Civil War.
He’s already had to resort to using smugglers to get his goods through the Union blockade.
Now, after a violent outburst by a Union soldier at a dance, he fears for the safety of the women in his life, wife Madeleine, daughters Justine, Esther and Abigaelle and even his black servant / mistress Layla.
He decides to return to Paris and hires mercenary Victor Ludd (Kevins Janssens) to lead them through to a boat that will sail them there.
It’s a harsh journey, made even more so by Justine’s poor health and escalating hostility between the wife and the mistress.
And it will become more periless once a bandit queen named Bettie learns of their whereabouts. You might say she’s rather obessed with Victor Ludd.
Esther (Alice Isaaz) knows all about that. She finds herself drawn more and more toward the rugged frontiersman as the journey West inches along.
Alice Isaaz as Esther, ready to face a moment of truth in Savage State (2019)
Kevin Janssens as Victor Ludd, rather into an old acquaintance on the trip West in Savage State (2019)
Review:
A French-made Western that’s compelling, strange and, at times, downright lyrical.
Most of the strange is provided by the dressed-all-in-black Bettie, who’s backed by a gang of henchmen wearing burlap sacks over their heads.
But Layla practices voodoo. And Victor Ludd is quite the mysterious fellow, seemingly committed to the job he’s taken on, but also determined not to get too close to Edmond and his family.
At the center of the story is Esther, a blossoming young woman bored with the predictability of her well-off life of fancy dances and arranged marriages. She always reading, or asking to be told, stories of far-off lands.
For her, the trip West opens up new possibilities. In one of the film’s best scenes, the family’s wagon breaks down on a narrow mountain road and has to be abandoned. To get around it, the women have to inch along a very narrow strip of ground, with the slightest misstep leading to a fatal fall down a steep cliff.
Having watched her terrified mother and sisters make it to safety, Esther decides there’s a better way and climbs over the wagon, pausing at the top to take in the magestic, yet barren landscape stretched out before her.
Kate Moran as Bettie, reminding Victor Ludd of their time as lovers in Savage State (2019)
Armelle Abibou as Layla, offering to help Esther sort out a nightmare with a bit of voodoo in Savage State (2019)
Directed by:
David Perrault
Cast:
Alice Isaaz … Esther
Kevin Janssens … Victor Ludd
Deborah Francois … Justine
Bruno Teeschini … Edmond
Constance Dolle … Madeleine
Armelle Abibou … Layla
Maryne Bertieaux … Abigaelle
Kate Moran … Bettie
Pierre Yves Cardinal … Samuel
Jerry Di Giacomo … Henry
Gregoire Colin … Monsieur de Lisle
Lee DeLong … Miss Davis
Vincent Grass … Grand Chef
Runtime: 121 min.
Bruno Teeschini as Edmond finds Esther outside his study late at night in Savage State (2019)
Constance Dolle as Madeleine, demanding the key to her husband’s study from Layla in Savage State (2019)
Memorable lines:
Abigalle: “Yesterday, you had (were wearing) Confederate stripes.”
A porter, now wearing Union blue: “We’ll soon be moving into Yankee territory. You gotta adapt to each situation.”
Abigalle: “That’s absurd.”
Porter: “That’s your opinion, missy.”
Esther: “Are you lost?”
Bettie: “Do I look lost?”
Esther: “Do I have the right to ask questions about your scar?”
Victor: “It’s the past. I prefer to look ahead.”
Victor to Esther, as they become closer: “I’m not fit to marry.”
Bettie: “When do you know that you really love someone? Afterwards. Always when it’s too late.”
Deborah Francois as Justine, resting in the comfort of her sister Abigaelle’s car in Savage State (2019)
Maryne Bertieaux as Abigaelle, demanding the men get help for her ailing sister. Esther (Alice Isaaz) looks on in Savage State (2019)
Pierre Yves Cardinal as Samuel, one of the men helping Victor take the family West in Savage State (2019)
Alice Isaaz as Esther, with Samuel and sensing trouble approaching fast in Savage State (2019)
Maryne Bertieaux as Abigaelle and Deborah Francois as Justine, sisters insisting on facing danger together in Savage State (2019)
Kevin Janssens as Victor Ludd, giving orders to Madeleine (Constance Dolle) and Edmond (Bruno Teeschini) in Savage State (2019)
Kevin Janssens as Victor Ludd, decling to discuss his scar with Esther in Savage State (2019)
Alice Isaaz as Esther, showing Abigaelle (Maryne Bertieaux) and Samuel (Pierre Yves Cardinal) that’s she’s not bashful about using a pistol in Savage State (2019)
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