The Wasteland Reviewer

East of Wall (2025) Written Review

What is the best way to make a film feel authentic and real for the audience? Obviously, the job of an actor is to create a character and breathe life into a story. But there have certainly been situations where a filmmaker made the decision to go with everyday people who live and inhabit the lives and stories that make up a film. Bicycle Thieves. The Best Years of Our Lives. Nomadland. Each of these renowned films found ways to bring in people from a certain walk of life and breathe some genuine authenticity into the equation. For East of Wall, filmmaker Kate Beecroft was able to find her muse through TikTok and bring some “real cowboy shit” into this beautiful and moving drama. 

Outside of some special casting, what was Beecroft able to inject into East of Wall to make this such a poignant cinematic experience? One of the most significant and impactful elements of this film is the setting. The Badlands depicted in the film are breathtaking through the gorgeous cinematography of Austin Shelton. The film is presented in a pseudo-documentarian approach that adds layers of authenticity to the experience as well. You see the breathtaking mountains and plains through the raw and unfiltered footage that works well to also make the film feel so naturalistic and intimate. The music also captures the spirit of the culture in the northern plains of the United States. Beecroft captures this specific and unique cultural perspective on screen and makes the film feel so lived-in and genuine. The tone of the film and atmosphere is conducive to the rich emotional weight generated through the trauma and experiences of these characters. 

Does the story that makes up East of Wall deliver something impactful? This is a tale of maternal bonds at the core of it. Tabatha Zimiga plays a fictionalized version of herself as well as her daughter Porshia Zimiga. There is an older generation too with the grandmother, Tracey. The layers of these dynamics make for the heart and soul of the film. The rebellious teen angst certainly put her at odds with her mother and the grandmother is quite the wildcard (with a harder and rougher edge) which sets the film up with plenty of drama and conflict. But Beecroft injects the film with plenty more layers from Tabatha’s quest to support her band of misfit and misguided teens on her ranch but lacking the financial stability to keep it going. Then you have a wealthier man who comes into the picture who wants to take control of Tabatha’s ranch and the competitive future of Porshia. There are plenty of tropes that Beecroft plays around with but they make for a strong foundation to explore the emotional levels and conflicts through. 

How does this unique cast factor into the effectiveness of Beecroft’s film? The Zimiga’s do such a good job at creating characters that feel so real and lived in. Tabatha Zimiga is a fresh and authentic presence with each loving moment feeling so organic and each moment of emotional expression feeling so raw and real. Her natural connection to Porshia just makes for such a significant layer to the emotional journey of the film. Ehle makes for a fantastic addition as she matches this organic and raw tone set by the dual Zimiga’s Ehle gives Tracey so many layers of intrigue as she is a character that matches the culture and personality of this locale so well. Scoot McNairy is such a talented actor which makes his role as that wealthy man trying to usurp control so much more interesting than you might expect. He brings a certain layered interpretation of a character who could have easily been a forgettable and unreliable antagonist. There is not a single moment in Beecroft’s film that feels derivative or artificial which gives this film a significant boost in believability. 

Is East of Wall an independent cinematic experience that is worth seeking out? There is plenty of raw emotion and drama just waiting for you while watching East of Wall. The filmmaking and performances all work in the same direction, crafting an experience that has such a meaningful place in the story’s narrative. Beecroft finds the right muse to bring her vision to life and Zimiga delivers a standout performance that shines and grabs your attention along the way.