Somewhere in Northern Michigan, war veteran Frank Olsen lives a quiet isolated life. Estranged from his family, Frank lives in the cabin his grandfather built after returning from the Korean War over half a century before. On the opening day of deer season, Frank heads out into the snowy woods on the hunt. He finds, and with a single shot takes down his prey.

However, as he is making his way back home, he spots the back-end of a pickup truck. He sees a slight man in a red parka frantically pull a large object wrapped in a blue tarp out of the truck bed. He leaves in the snow bed, jumps back into the truck and takes off. Frank investigates and discovers the tarp contains a still breathing woman who has been nearly beaten to death. Forget the deer, Frank now has a new target in sight.

Writer/director Zack Wilcox does an outstanding job in his debut feature. Hunting Lands story of a hunter stalking a cowardly louse is a simple one but it is effectively presented. Using a relatively small amount of dialogue, Wilcox makes the most of some terrific visuals to communicate the feelings of solitude and disdain. The beauty of the snow-covered wilds of Michigan is stunning as well.

Both Marshall Cook as Frank Olsen and Joe Raffa as the sleazy Lance Bennett deliver very good performances. A good deal of Raffa’s early scenes are from the perspective of the stalking Frank. You don’t hear much of what Lance is saying but his body language tells you everything you need to know. Cook particularly shines as you can see the determination in his gaze and the darkness of his past hiding behind it.

I really like Hunting Lands a lot. It’s an excellent example of a simple story that does an amazing job of getting across the complexity of human nature.