Set in Saint Charles, Missouri at the height of the Civil War in 1863, the French bourgeoisie, who stayed neutral in accordance with Napoleon III’s wishes, attempted to flee to their homeland to avoid the northern army’s approaching threat. Esther goes on refuge together with her parents, two sisters and a servant girl, Layla, guided by a mercenary soldier, Victor. Their already rough journey comes to a crisis point when they encounter a band of thieves led by the outlaw, Bettie.

In his previous film, Our Heroes Died Tonight (2013), showcased at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival – Critics’ Week, David Perrault paid tribute to the American film noir of the 30s. He once again tries to reinterpret the genre in his western, Savage State. In its archetypal European western style and feministic interests, suggesting a new direction for the revision of the western genre, much like Thomas Arslan’s Gold (2013). At the end of the refuge route, the five women arrive at a beach, showing as much presence as any male western hero. (Jin PARK)