SOMEWHERE IN MONTANA TRAILER 1

Hollywood’s depiction of America’s heartland doesn’t always capture the real story. Sometimes the battle between a director’s vision and the subject’s reality can be more gripping than a finished film. This is the melancholic first trailer for Somewhere in Montana.

Montana cattle rancher John Alexander (Graham McTavish), at risk of losing his land, agrees to let a film production use his property for a location shoot. He doesn’t exactly see eye-to-eye with the urban cast and crew, from the risqué storyline to how they handle their props. The film’s obsessive director, Fabian (Matt Drago), is intent on calling the shots and getting his film made whatever it takes.

As these two men struggle to keep their respective dreams alive, they’ll have to learn to find common ground. But it may be too late, as a terrible incident may cause the film’s prospects to go up in smoke.

The 1^st trailer for Somewhere In Montana strikes a quieter, elegiac tone than one might expect from its premise. The concept of a prissy director clashing with a tough-as-nails rancher feels like a quirky comedy on paper, but director Brandon Smith goes for a quieter tone that truly shines a light on the struggles facing America’s self-made individuals, irrespective of their industry.

Smith excels in thematically finding common ground between two different archetypes. Throughout the trailer, neither figure seems deliberately antagonistic, deliberately not condemning either way of life as inherently incorrect. This lends the film a more sympathetic appeal. It doesn’t seek to poke fun, it seeks to spotlight the tug of war between two cultures, enhanced by the old-school orchestral score inspired by the Westerns of old.

But the true star of the trailer is lead star Graham McTavish. Known to mainstream audiences as a journeyman character actor in blockbusters, McTavish takes center stage in a gloriously grizzled quiet lead performance, showing both resolve and vulnerability with a simple look. It’s always exciting when a character actor gets to prove he can steal the spotlight, and McTavish does so with gusto.

Directed by Brandon Smith, Somewhere in Montana will release theatrically in the US on January 10, 2025. The movie stars an ensemble cast led by Graham McTavish, Michelle Hurd and Matt Drago.