Warning, spoilers! This article refers to the plot of the TV series American Dawn. If you haven’t seen it yet and don’t want to know what it’s all about, read no further.
It’s a hell of a performance. Just two weeks after Squid Game Season 2 was released on Netflix, the western series America’s Dawn managed to steal the top spot in the top 10 series. If you also devoured six episodes of this series directed by Peter Berg and with incredible brutality, you will definitely be interested in this family in episode 3.
This disturbing French-speaking family is reminiscent of another famous family: the cannibals from Wes Craven’s 1977 horror classic, The Hill Has Eyes. But first, the first question arises.
What were the French doing in the American West in the mid-19th century?
Like many Europeans of the time, many French explorers and trappers came to the Utah Territory in the 1800s, Episode 3 introduces a strange group of travelers, but you can tell from the accent that it’s pretty much French-speaking Canadian. And they use a little girl, Sarah (Betty Gilpin), to lure them into a trap.
Sarah’s good intentions backfire, putting the lives of herself, her son Devin, and Isaac Reed (Taylor Keech), who is traveling with them, in imminent danger. Sarah ignores Isaac’s warning about an ambush, but Sarah’s inexperience with the dangers of the American wilderness forces her to act with her heart rather than her head.
After succeeding in encircling Sarah and Isaac, they are arrested by a group of Canadians. From their clothing, we understand that this group is found in the American West, mainly because they make their living by trading furs. Like many Canadians who explored the still-wilderness of Utah in the mid-1800s.
Why do they look so scary?
In a few minutes, the scene is set. First of all, this French-speaking Canadian family seems to be inbred (and maybe even cannibalistic?), which may explain their unusual and dangerous appearance, especially the old woman.
Because American Dawn is a western with horror elements, the old woman’s appearance seems intentionally creepy, adding to the awkwardness of the scene and the series as a whole. Given the family’s disturbing practices and appearance, it can be said that they have been reduced to primitive and subhuman status. Completely cut off from civilized life, they are deformed, both in appearance and morals.
in the given interview decideBerg revealed that he and screenwriter Mark L. Smith learned of French Canadians who “Landed in this part of America in 1857 and lived somewhat off the land.”
Berg then took the liberty of imagining that “Some of them, in our opinion, were perhaps a little evil and not ideal people who wanted to meet by chance or on purpose at one point or another.“The end result is an elderly female character who looks really inhuman and can be compared to a witch.
This family reminds us of La Colline aux yeux
Watching these scenes with the French Canadians in America’s Dawn almost automatically brings to mind images from Wes Craven’s horror classic The Hilltop.
The similarities and characteristics of these characters are disturbingly reminiscent of Pluto (Michael Berryman) in Wes Craven’s horror film, which gives the impression that the Netflix series “worships”, in its own way, the cannibals of this film, even if they are not French.
The feral and inhuman appearance of these terrifying characters clearly reinforces the horror themes and atmosphere of the series, which is otherwise a Western, meaning that if Sarah and Isaac had not escaped, they would likely have been eaten raw!
American Dawn is currently available on Netflix.
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
