With Knee High, director Marissa Vonn delivers a quiet powerhouse of rural American storytelling, deeply personal and visually poetic. Adapted from her short film of the same name, Vonn expands the story into a full-length feature that never loses its intimacy. Shot on location in Madrid, Iowa, this rural drama unfolds with quiet grace, capturing the weight of inheritance, grief, and the delicate balance between letting go and holding on.
Set against the endless Iowa farmlands, the film features Michael Ridley in a compelling performance as Cal Melbourne, a young father attempting to navigate life after the death of his own father. What begins as a quiet domestic drama soon deepens into something more layered. As Cal tries to hold the farm together, tending to the crops and handling nuisances that arise, he also faces the growing emotional distance between himself and his eight year old son, Avery (Ben Bergthold), who quietly begins to ask questions neither of them are quite ready to answer. Burdened with running the family farm and parenting Avery, Cal is suddenly thrust into adulthood with unrelenting pressure. Debt, foreclosure, and emotional isolation soon weigh in heavily, and Vonn captures this existential quietude with remarkable restraint and nuance.
Vonn has a terrific eye for shot composition, which is evident from the opening frames and carried through every scene of the film. Working with cinematographer Bruce James Bales, she makes extraordinary use of the foreground and background to elevate each moment on screen. One standout scene involves Cal taking Avery to his mother’s apartment. We come to understand that Cal and Avery’s mother, Kelsey (Melissa Keller), are separated, and Vonn demonstrates this beautifully with a striking shot in which Cal is seen helping Avery brush his teeth in the bathroom; His mother stands alone in the kitchen, framed distantly through the hallway. The moment between Cal and Kelsey is restrained, and might suggest a history of choices left unmade and feelings left unsaid. This brief moment, wordless and restrained, encapsulates Vonn’s immense gift for showing, and not telling.
Visually, Knee High is rich in its subtle beauty. The stunning Iowa landscapes serve as both a literal and symbolic backdrop for Cal’s internal conflict, making every shot feel significant. A recurring motif that enhances the emotional arc of the story is Vonn’s frequent use of silhouettes against the setting sun. We witness Cal standing aside his tractor as the sun sets, as well as walking through his crops at dawn, among a number of other magnificently composed shots. The location is utilized beautifully, and we are shown an additional number of establishing shots that contain the landscape of the farmland, drawing the viewer into the world in which Vonn so effectively creates.
This is additionally enhanced by Vonn’s ability to let specific moments breathe throughout the story. Bruce James Bales elevates this film in dual roles, not only as the cinematographer, but also as the editor. A significant example occurs during a scene in which Cal visits his father’s grave. In the absence of dialogue, we are presented with a single take lasting over two minutes, allowing the audience to sit with Cal’s character during a vulnerable moment. This is reminiscent of Terrence Malick’s Badlands (1973), starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek, in which the same technique is utilized throughout the film. It speaks a lot to a filmmaker’s ability when they allow the audience to view their characters in a way that ultimately leaves a lasting impression.
Also noticeable is the thoughtful production design by Dakota Carpenter, layered throughout Cal’s house. We are shown Avery’s artwork taped to windows, family sayings on kitchen signs (one of which says, “Nana’s Kitchen: where memories are made and grandkids are spoiled”), and flowers planted lovingly along the exterior. Each specific detail is carefully included and creates a lived-in world that feels both nostalgic and fragile, not only for the characters, but also for the audience.
Knee High is a poignant, beautifully crafted exploration of familial bonds, loss, and the harsh realities of rural life. Marissa Vonn’s direction shines through in every frame of this adaptation, creating a deeply personal, yet universally relatable story. It is the subtlety of Vonn’s storytelling, coupled with the raw authenticity of the performances, that leaves a lasting impact on us. Knee High is truly a testament to the enduring power of hope, and how sometimes, even in the face of uncertainty, the smallest victories can be the most rewarding of all.
