Off the Map

Years ago while I was pregnant with Nichola I sat in one of the four bedrooms of our brand new and ridiculously over sized house. It had two living rooms, two dining rooms and three bathrooms. It was my reality. It seemed 'normal' and I sat, feet propped on the desk, watching movies waiting to go into labor with my second baby.

One of the movies I watched was this unusual story of a family living in the bush. I loved it. It was moving, inspiring, and comforting. I thought of how it might be like to live like that - so free - but couldn't understand who could pull that off, or where. It would be four years before I would realize that the movie was filmed in and immediately around Taos, NM, where I now lived.

I've seen this movie at least four times and it never gets old. I see something new each time as I change and see with new eyes. The movie perfectly captures life out here. The story is wonderful, unlikely, and odd, but that is the case of so many souls around here. Our lives, the stories of how we came to be here, and how we make it work - off the map in the Wild West - are wonderfully odd and unlikely. Here it's just Taos. We're just Taoseños. It's just normal - in the most comforting way that unusual can be.

We know so many families and individuals that live this beautifully free life. We hope each day to be more like them.

I remember, not long after coming to New Mexico myself, more than twenty years ago, hearing almost exactly the same words spoken by Joan Allen in Off the Map: "New Mexico is a little overwhelming." And I remember, after having some time to acclimate myself, saying almost exactly the same words to others who found themselves a bit adrift upon settling here. Off the Map captures this power of place like no other film I have ever seen. New Mexico IS the central character of this film, the human characters being a part of that greater presence. But rather than working to diminish the human characters, it lends them all a bit of its own powerful presence.

On the surface, this is a quirky little movie about a lost soul who finds his purpose, his home, and his family in Northern New Mexico. It is also a coming of age story, and a story of a marriage. But each time I see it, I find an underlying beauty and depth I didn’t notice before. I find a truth in this film about relationships; with others, yes, but more importantly with self and with the power of place. I look forward to always finding more in Off the Map for years to come. ~Aimee

Watch it. You won't regret it.