Wall Drug may be the reason to visit Wall, South Dakota.
But just down the road thereβs βEast of Wall,β a heartfelt look at a widowed horse trainer that makes you realize everyone isnβt an open TikTok post.
TikTok, however, is where Tabatha Zimiga β who plays a version of herselfΒ β finds a market for the restless horses she tames, and an audience that warms to her hardscrabble way of approaching life.
Tabatha Zimiga stars in "East of Wall."Β
A slice-of-drama thatβs part documentary, part fiction, βEast of Wallβ tries to give outsiders a look at what it is that fuels her, affects her and moves her. Itβs a fascinating piece of filmmaking that only shows its seams when actors pause to ponder what it is sheβs saying.
In Tabathaβs world, there isnβt time to think through a moveΒ β she just makes it. When a wheeler dealer (Scoot McNairy, one of the few actors in the film) offers to buy her ranch and set her up with a more comfortable life, she hesitatesΒ β the ranch is the legacy she wants her children to have.
As she struggles to decide, director Kate Beecroft moves in and finds the filmβs strength.
To understand the yin and yang of Zimiga, she widens the lens and shows the soft spot Tabatha has for children who have been abandoned by their families. She takes them in, too, and tries to give them the discipline they need to make it on their own.
Tabatha Zimiga's life is captured in "East of Wall," a film that's part documentary, part fiction.Β
Daughter Porshia, meanwhile, is a star rider, able to pick up prizes at rodeos even though she thinks her performances are mediocre. McNairyβs Roy Waters sees promise there, as well, and enters the girlβs life, suggesting the kind of future that could fund something like his trailer β the βworldβs longest trailer.β
McNairy and Jennifer Ehle, cast as Zimigaβs mother Tracey, fit in nicely but there are times you sense theyβre actors and the others are βliveβ-ers.
βEast of Wallβ has its biggest revelation when Zimiga, Ehle and other women sit around a campfire and verbalize those moments theyβve guarded. Itβs a refreshing piece of improvisation that focuses the film and makes those snippets of everyday life have meaning.
Still, watching Porshia and her friends execute stunt moves atop their horses is entertaining; listening to them tease each other is telling. This is a part of South Dakota thatβs in stark contrast to the gorgeous landscapes cinematographers capture. Even on cellphones, South Dakota pops.
Zimiga, meanwhile, is someone youβd like to have on your side. She can handle anything life deals and isnβt afraid to confront someone whoβs stacking the deck. For a first-time actor, sheβs incredible and impossible to ignore.
When Beecroft lets scenes linger, you wonder where βEast of Wallβ is headed. Is an accident about to happen? And then you realize it already happened and this is the aftermath.
