The film The Revenant is set primarily in the year 1823 in the regions of present-day Montana and South Dakota, specifically during the Arikara War on the Great Plains and the unsettled wilderness of the northern Louisiana Purchase territory
. The story follows frontiersman Hugh Glass as he guides a party of trappers through this area, which includes encounters with Native American tribes such as the Arikara (Ree). Although the narrative is set in these American locations, the movie was mostly filmed in Canada, particularly in Kananaskis Country and the Bow Valley in the Canadian Rockies west of Calgary, Alberta. Additional filming took place in British Columbia's Squamish Valley for the bear attack scene, Montana's Kootenai Falls for river and waterfall sequences, and Tierra del Fuego in Argentina for the final scenes due to seasonal snow melt in North America
. In summary:
- Story setting: 1823 Montana and South Dakota (Great Plains, northern Louisiana Purchase)
- Filming locations: Mainly Alberta and British Columbia in Canada, with some scenes in Montana and Argentina
This combination of locations was chosen to depict the harsh, wild frontier environment central to the film’s survival and revenge narrative
