High noon on the Oregon Trail

Those of us of a certain age remember playing the game “The Oregon Trail.” The educational software aimed to teach students about settlers who moved westward in the 19th century. Children growing up at the end of the 20th century couldn’t even imagine the hardships suffered by those in the last one — nor the difficult choices they faced. Kelly Reichardt’s spare “Meek’s Cutoff” is a keenly felt film that illustrates both.

The movie is based on real events, but the 200-wagon caravan of history is replaced by a trio of families here, making the drama more intimate, but no less a potential tragedy.