MARFA, TEXAS - 2026
When Javier Bardem’s Anton Chigurh first showed up in the Coen brothers’ iconic “No Country for Old Men” in 2007, it was a masterclass in character introduction. In a brutal, wordless, sequence, we learnt how capable and inhumane Anton was. Bardem duly went on to win the Academy Award for best supporting actor and the Coen brothers won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. The sequence was filmed on a remote country road near the quirky art installation town of Marfa in West Texas. This is a long way from anywhere.
No Country for Old Men alone would have put Marfa, Texas on the map, but the most bizarre thing was that at the same time 20 miles away, Paul Anderson was filming “There will be blood”. The two movies won six Oscars between them and were shot 20 miles apart at the same time. I doubt that will ever happen again and Marfa - for better or for worse - will never be the same. It is a strange place for sure and the population, which has fallen every year since COVID, now hovers around 1800. The country road that the Coen brothers’ team found has a special vista and they most certainly discovered its appeal long before me. But I don't mind borrowing from others so long as I can tell a new narrative and admit to not discovering it first. I sense that this road will one day have a place in filmmaking folklore.
There were no real Texan cowboys in No Country for Old Men; there were just bad guys and marginalized women. This story is of good cowboys with manners, and Texan women who enjoy life whatever the circumstances. My experience in Texas is that this is the norm.