Big Sky Country steals this show

Montana Story is most definitely that. Shot in the heart of Big Sky Country on a sprawling ranch, it's the tale of two siblings reunited by the imminent death of their father. Cal (Owen Teague) shows up first, ready to wrap up his dad's affairs, which were not in good shape. He's going to sell the car and the land, put down an aging horse named Mr. T, and settle the old man's debts.

Cal is met by Ace (Gilbert Owuor), a gentle caregiver tending to the comatose man, though it's never quite clear if the plan is to wait for him to expire or pull the plug. But before we can get too far down that path, Cal's half-sister Erin (Haley Lu Richardson), arrives unexpectedly, angry and flustered. She left home seven years ago, shunning any contact with the family. This is her first time back.

Erin is most upset at the notion of putting down the horse, and decides she's going to buy a trailer and transport the animal back to upstate New York when she returns home. This quest will drive the plot forward, albeit meanderingly.

Co-written and directed by Scott Mcgehee and David Siegel (What Maisie Knew), Montana Story trots where others would at least canter. Only very gradually do we learn what caused Erin to leave, and why she's so keen on saving the horse.

It feels at times as though the script is being purposefully indirect to pad out the film's almosttwo-hour runtime and give more space for gorgeous scenery.

That's not altogether a bad thing, as the leads give lovely performances, and you can easily lose yourself in the quiet rhythms of the tale.

I wished we'd learned more about Mukki (Eugene Brave Rock), the First Nations guy who sells Erin a truck and trailer.

And also Ace; how does a Kenyan nurse wind up in the American west? But Montana Story is not their story.