Monday, February 28, 2011

i just watched--

sweet land starring elizabeth reaser and tim guinee
directed by ali selim
written by will weaver (short story a gravestone made of wheat) and ali selim

a wonderful norwegian-american film. beautiful scenery. wonderfully written characters. the story pulled every emotion from my body--tears of joy and sadness, laughter, anger.

i was left wondering at the end if--SPOILER ALERT--olaf and inge ever actually were able to marry due to the overwhelming and frustrating difficulty surrounding her immigration papers and the fact america had just come out of the war against germany. in spite of this, their affection and care for each other grew and turned into love and support. i think it was most evident during the harvest--the two of them working alongside, hour after hour, few words exchanged between them, just the sound of the husks being chopped and tied. it was also clear at bedtime when olaf would sleep in the barn so inge could have his bedroom (they were not yet married and living together was intensely frowned upon) and they were gaze at each other from across the yard, window to loft. and then the community, led by the minister that initially kicked them out of his church, extended their hands--monetarily--in support and charity and i nearly lost it. such a beautiful expression of a town coming together.

i highly recommend this film. it's quiet and lovely and passionate.
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