Though it takes place during the American Civil War---which has no shortage of big and small screen "adaptations", for lack of a better word---Chris Eska's The Retrieval (2013) doesn't feel like many period-specific historical dramas that have come before it. This tightly-constructed independent production features a minimum of battlefield skirmishes, cannon blasts, and muskets, along with absolutely no grandstanding speeches or flag-waving acts of bravado. Our story follows 13 year-old Will (Ashton Sanders), a fatherless black child who works for a gang of white bounty hunters. Along with his stern but watchful uncle Marcus (Keston John), the young boy helps the gang kidnap runaway slaves for profit: it's a job he does reluctantly, but Marcus insists their survival and modest income are more important.

Soon enough, a bigger job comes along: Will and Marcus are instructed to bring back Nate (Tishuan Scott), a freed slave currently living up North, under the assumption that he owes their boss Burrell (Bill Oberst Jr.) a great deal of money. Tricking the resourceful Nate won't be easy; after all, they want him alive and suspecting nothing, but it's a long trip and he's rightfully on guard from the very beginning. Soon enough, the three-man party becomes two: it's just fatherless Will and his unsuspecting "captive", who has no other family except his estranged partner Rachel (Christine Horn), the memory of their dead son, and the assumption that Will's actually taking him to see his ailing brother.

For obvious reasons, The Retrieval primarily concerns itself with two things: (1) the relationship between a fatherless boy and his unlikely father figure, and (2) Will's struggle with telling his "captive" the truth about their destination. Both are handled wonderfully during this brisk but layered 96-minute production, which unsurprisingly plays like a typical road movie at times: there's a lot of walking, a handful of unexpected encounters, and even a few surprise stops along the way. While Nate and Will travel onward through forests and meadows, past quiet streams and the occasional remains of bloody battles, gunfire and cannon blasts are occasionally heard in the distance. Civil war rages on...but only on a few occasions do they actually see it in the flesh. The performances are terrific, and the desolate atmosphere---achieved through barren location shooting, somber music cues by British composer Jon Attwood, and only the bare minimum of cast members---makes The Retrieval haunting, instantly memorable, and a cinematic breath of fresh air.

Researched, written, directed, and edited by Eska, The Retrieval was obviously not run by committee. It feels like a singular work with purpose, and only in the film's slightly overcooked ending does it approach anything resembling a conventional drama. It moves at a relatively quick pace but feels more substantial than its running time implies, and the existence of only one full deleted scene---included with this disc, along with several other supplements---offers proof that Eska and company didn't just make things up as they went along. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray offers an excellent A/V presentation, playing up the film's thick, imposing atmosphere with strong visuals and a sparse but effective audio mix. Without question, The Retrieval is the very definition of "pleasant surprise" and well worth a closer look.

Presented in its original 1.78:1 format, Kino's 1080p transfer of this digitally-shot film looks excellent and, at times, striking in its level of background detail. Since most of The Retrieval was shot outdoors under natural light, there are slight inconsistencies with brightness, color, and contrast from shot to shot...but it's hardly distracting and reveals a beautifully natural image from start to finish. Textures and black levels are both solid, while the film's muted, earthy palette has been reproduced faithfully. For an indie film shot under such conditions, it's fortunate that The Retrieval looks as good as it does; more often than not, this terrific Blu-ray has no problem carrying all the weight.

The packaging only advertises a DTS-HD 5.1 Audio track...but a lossless 2.0 option is available as well, and it's oddly programmed as the default track. Either way, The Retrieval sounds good overall but this is most certainly a minimalist audio experience: there are long stretches without dialogue, no narration, sparse but effective music cues and very little in the way of action. But it still gets the job done effectively with occasional moments of strong channel separation, small but potent amounts of low end, and even some rear-channel ambiance at times. The one mistake made by Kino---and it's a fairly large one, at least in my book---was not to include optional English subtitles; dialogue is occasionally mumbled or spoken softly, and the regional accents are occasionally very tough to decipher. You won't be lost, though: The Retrieval's visuals are strong enough to get the point across without dialogue, more often than not. But subtitles should've been a no-brainer on a release like this, and their presence was sorely missed.

On a related note, we also get a lengthy Screen Actors Guild Interview with key cast and crew members (48:35 - seen above, and posted by SAG on YouTube here). Recorded on April 23, 2013, this candid chat is similar to the commentary as far as subject matter goes---rehearsal, production, characters, the script, etc.----but the different perspectives of each participant make this a looser, more dynamic session overall. More behind-the-scenes perspectives arrive with two brief Leeds International Film Festival Interviews featuring Eska and composer Jon Attwood (3:26 total).

Wrapping things up are a few odds and ends, including one Deleted Scene (4:07) that features Nate and Will arguing over whether or not to help an injured cavalryman; it's available with or without audio commentary from the director, who confirms that it was the only full scene cut from the entire shooting process. A brief collection of Stunt Rehearsal Footage is also included (5:06), as well as a BD-ROM Press Booklet and the film's excellent but spoiler-heavy Theatrical Trailer (2:26). Unfortunately, like the main feature, no optional subtitles are included with these supplements.

The Retrieval is flat-out one of the most engaging, original, and well-crafted films I've seen in the past year, which speaks volumes for an independent production set during a well-traveled time in American history. The performances are magnetic from start to finish and the pacing is just about perfect, while the sparse music cues and skeleton cast create a wonderfully desolate atmosphere that gets plenty of breathing room. This is a movie that can and will stick with viewers no matter their level of interest in the subject matter, which makes The Retrieval's status as a little-seen film that's already two years old all the more baffling. Either way, Kino Lorber's Blu-ray is almost perfect: we're treated to a terrific A/V presentation and a handful of fine supplements, with the lack of optional subtitles being this release's only shortcoming. For obvious reasons, it's certainly worth seeking out as a blind buy. Highly Recommended.