The Western has long been a male-dominated genre - when you think of the Old West, it conjures up images of brave cowboys, expansive mountain ranges, and mighty horses. But what of the women left behind on the outskirts of the frontier? What forces might they face - whether through the everyday isolation and oppression of gender roles and the dangers of the plains, or more supernatural forces the men are helpless to stop (or even see)?

Emma Tammi's feature debut The Wind explores these questions with the same kind of impressionistic arthouse flair that's become the fodder for the kind of mislabeled "arthouse horror" we've seen lately, from The Witch to Hereditary. This slow-simmering tale of a rancher's wife (Caitlin Gerard) beset by supernatural forces amidst the arrival of a strange couple to the area (Julia Goldani Telles and Dylan McTee) and the perpetual absence of her husband (Ashley Zukerman). Told in a non-linear fashion, The Wind is a slow burn of a Western horror tale, leaning hard on terrifyingly evocative images and a strong lead performance from Gerard.

This week on the pod, I spoke with Tammi about the origins of the project, the importance of telling women's stories in such a male-dominated genre, and the struggles of manifesting a creature that personifies so many of the anxieties women felt (and still feel) in the stifling dynamics of a patriarchal society.

(More of a Comment, Really… is a proud member of the Chicago Podcast Coop. Thanks to Cards Against Humanity for sponsoring this episode!)