Sweet Land (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
You can't help but like the characters in 'Sweet Land' (an old-fashioned love story directed by Ali Selim); if you don't, there may be something wrong with you {winks}. 1968: Inge (Lois Smith) buries her husband, Olaf, on their Minnesota farm. We relive their romance (in flashback mode) as she tells her grandson, Lars, about how she arrived from Germany in 1920 as Olaf's mail-order bride. Thrown into a Norwegian-immigrant community, she retells the obstacles they overcame in order to marry each other. There really isn't a point in making this film; but does there always have to be one?
In World War I's aftermath, a young Inge Altenberg (Elizabeth Reaser) arrives in a small Norwegian village (in Minnesota) to a frigid reception. Her intended husband, Olaf Torvik (Tim Guinee) is abhorred to find out that she is a German and with no marriage papers. To make matters worse, she accidentally obtains 'papers' for the American Socialist Party! The Lutheran minister (who demands that all members of his church speak English ... I wish this were the case today) has ostracized them; as well as the county clerk, and various townsfolk. The only ones to defend & befriend them is Frandsen (Alan Cumming) and his family.
One thing leads to another, forcing Inge & Olaf to commence living together. Although it's scandalous, this pre-marital union allows them to get to know each other. He lets her play her obnoxiously large record player. She cooks him some good food. He's hesitant to enter her bedroom, and if he dares to, she screams, 'Nein!'. Because they're ostracized, they are forced to harvest their crop by hand (the other townsfolk wouldn't share their machinery). Through time, meaningful glances, head nods, and bursts of occasional English communication, an understanding and respect for one another blossoms, as does a beautiful love.
As I type, I appreciate this film more & more. 'Sweet Land' combines 1920s immigration, asserting an identity in a foreign land, and adapting to a fixed relationship, extremely well. The writing is beautifully empty, but full of emotion. The cinematography & setting are handled as gently as a summer breeze. The cast is incredible (you'll wish you knew Inge & Olaf for real. Reaser & Guinee are a winning couple. The film starts a little slowly, and impatient viewers may find the process of the plotline to be tedious ... not so for me. It's a quiet film, allowing its' organic tenderness & subtlety to mark an indelible impression in your heart.
In World War I's aftermath, a young Inge Altenberg (Elizabeth Reaser) arrives in a small Norwegian village (in Minnesota) to a frigid reception. Her intended husband, Olaf Torvik (Tim Guinee) is abhorred to find out that she is a German and with no marriage papers. To make matters worse, she accidentally obtains 'papers' for the American Socialist Party! The Lutheran minister (who demands that all members of his church speak English ... I wish this were the case today) has ostracized them; as well as the county clerk, and various townsfolk. The only ones to defend & befriend them is Frandsen (Alan Cumming) and his family.
One thing leads to another, forcing Inge & Olaf to commence living together. Although it's scandalous, this pre-marital union allows them to get to know each other. He lets her play her obnoxiously large record player. She cooks him some good food. He's hesitant to enter her bedroom, and if he dares to, she screams, 'Nein!'. Because they're ostracized, they are forced to harvest their crop by hand (the other townsfolk wouldn't share their machinery). Through time, meaningful glances, head nods, and bursts of occasional English communication, an understanding and respect for one another blossoms, as does a beautiful love.
As I type, I appreciate this film more & more. 'Sweet Land' combines 1920s immigration, asserting an identity in a foreign land, and adapting to a fixed relationship, extremely well. The writing is beautifully empty, but full of emotion. The cinematography & setting are handled as gently as a summer breeze. The cast is incredible (you'll wish you knew Inge & Olaf for real. Reaser & Guinee are a winning couple. The film starts a little slowly, and impatient viewers may find the process of the plotline to be tedious ... not so for me. It's a quiet film, allowing its' organic tenderness & subtlety to mark an indelible impression in your heart.