Jessica Chastain has made a career out of playing defiant women, as seen in “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Miss Sloane.” Now, she can add her performance in “Woman Walks Ahead” to the list of strong-willed women she has played.
As seen in the “Woman Walks Ahead” trailer, the film tells the story of Caroline Weldon, a real-life painter from the 1880s. Weldon was viewed as inferior by those around her due to her desire to become an artist. So, she decided to travel to Dakota to paint a portrait of Sitting Bull (Michael Greyeyes), the famed leader of the Lakota tribe. Weldon would eventually become Sitting Bull’s secretary and confidante. She also found herself caught in the middle of a conflict between the Lakota people and U.S. soldiers.
According to a review from our site, the film features yet another amazing performance from Jessica Chastain. In our review, we said, “‘Woman Walks Ahead’ may not generate much passion, but it’s crafted with enough care that it’s difficult to dismiss. It succeeds in its goal of paying respect to Sitting Bull and plight of his people, while also shining a light on a minor, but no less interesting segment of his life.”
Rounding out the rest of the cast is Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell, Ciaran Hinds, Chaske Spencer, and Bill Camp. At the film’s helm is Susanna White (“Our Kind Of Traitor,” “Nanny McPhee And The Big Bang“). With an amazing cast and a powerful true story, “Woman Walks Ahead” seems like it has plenty of promise.
“Woman Walks Ahead” is set to come out exclusively on DirecTV on May 31 and in theaters on June 29th.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Based on true events, “Woman Walks Ahead” tells the story of Catherine Weldon (JESSICA CHASTAIN), a widowed artist from New York who, in the 1880s, traveled alone to North Dakota to paint a portrait of Chief Sitting Bull (MICHAEL GREYEYES).
Her arrival at Standing Rock is welcomed with open hostility by a US Army officer (SAM ROCKWELL), who has stationed troops around the Lakota reservation to undermine Native American claims to the land. As Catherine and Sitting Bull grow closer, and as their friendship—and his life—are threatened by imperious government forces, Catherine must contend with the violence that underlies her position.
