Director Ursula Meier is preparing her fourth feature film, “Quiet Land,” an English-language project she is presenting at the Venice Gap-Financing Market from Sept. 4 – 6. The film centers on Connor McCluskey, a Montana Highway Patrolman in his early seventies who documents fatal car crashes using analog photography. After a medical evaluation forces him to retire from the force, he privately continues investigating two puzzling accidents, raising questions about whether he has discovered a criminal conspiracy or is experiencing cognitive decline.
Meier’s career includes “Home” (2008), which premiered at Cannes’ Critics’ Week, and “Sister” (2012), which received the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Her most recent work, “The Line,” competed for the Golden Bear at the 2022 Berlinale. The new project draws inspiration from Swiss police photographer Arnold Odermatt, whose four-decade career documented automobile accidents in striking black-and-white photography. Meier said Odermatt’s work captivated her through its powerful imagery and landscape composition, which she compared to cinematic storytelling that invites viewers to imagine the events preceding each crash.
Meier described transposing the photographer’s character onto American terrain as central to her creative vision. She noted that while car accidents share universal characteristics across geographies, the American landscape offers a distinctive scale and scope. The director emphasized themes of truth and justice, characterizing the story as both a human investigation and a personal emotional journey.
Meier’s desire to make an American film was reinforced by her work with English-speaking actors, including collaboration with Gillian Anderson on “Sister.” Her Oscar campaign travels in the United States further inspired her ambition. She recently conducted research with a highway patrol crash reconstruction unit in North Dakota to deepen her understanding of accident investigation techniques. Production is scheduled to begin in fall 2027 in Alberta, Canada and Switzerland, with casting underway for two A-list performers. The production team includes cinematographer Agnès Godard, editor Nelly Quettier, and producer Lionel Baier of Bande à part Films.
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