Sweet Land Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
A love story
As Inge buries her husband Olaf on their Minnesota farm in 1968, we relive her life story as she tells her grown grandson about how she arrived from Germany in 1920 as Olaf's postal bride and of the obstacles they overcame in order to marry...
| Elizabeth Reaser | Young Inge |
| Lois Smith | Old Inge |
| Patrick Heusinger | Young Lars |
| Stephen Pelinski | Old Lars |
| Tim Guinee | Young Olaf |
| Robert Hogan | Old Olaf |
| Alan Cumming | Young Frandsen |
| Paul Sand | Old Frandsen |
| Jodie Markell | Donna Torvik |
| Sage Kermes | Mae Torvik |
| Kirsten Frantzich | Lee |
| Stephen Yoakam | Einar Torvik |
| Karen Landry | Rose Torvik |
| James Cada | Minister Thorwald |
| Debbie DeLisi | Sarah Torvik |
| Ali Selim |
7.30 out of 10 (1451 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Mildly Amusing Film Misrepresented. Why?
posted on 15 Aug 2009This independent film about a German-born mail-order-bride in rural Minnesota in 1920 is certainly not a Must-See but it could be a good alternative to a non-stop diet of stupid Super Hero movies and other current swill from the artistically bankrupt cocaine-sniffers in our movie industry.There are two kinds of men in the world. One kind notices a pretty and naked woman in his bathtub when he gets up in the morning. The other kind walks right by and literally sees nothing. The absolutely believable hero of this film is the second kind, a rural man frightened to death of his mail order bride because he has no experience, or instinct, on how to deal with (talk to) her. He's one of the gentle people depicted in this movie, a genuine solid American from fly-over country (as the liberals call it).It was wartime, and the mail-order bride wasn't from the Taliban (it was 1920) but she WAS from the country that America was engaged in war with, and Germans were killing American men in huge numbers. We are supposed to think this is "prejudice" but the resistance this woman encounters from these gentle people hardly amounts to anything greater than initial resistance and stand-offish-ness. Let me tell you about prejudice. Prejudice is the kind of hateful ranting the Democratic presidential nominee and his wife embraced for 23 years in their Sunday so-called church. Prejudice is burning down your neighbor's house. Prejudice ought not be confused with Freedom of Association. Prejudice does not occur in this movie.The idea that overcoming prejudice and ignorance are supposedly the selling points of this movie is downright annoying... and silly. Why not sell a movie on its merits?
From the posters and the stills you wouldn't believe how tight the costume budget was.
posted on 26 Jun 2009Have only seen the trailer and the stills... but the visual images are striking. Opening scene in the trailer is beautifully composed. And because it's a small screen on the computer, it takes a while to realize what's going on. Once you do, it resonates amazingly. First, because someone had to plan that scene months in advance to just produce it and second, when you realize how much it typifies the physical difficulty of life on the prairie. As you go through the trailer, you realize someone did wonderful work researching the period costumes for the whole town and underscoring the sense of time and place without calling attention to the costumes. They just look "right." And yet, I understand the entire budget for costuming was extraordinarily low. There must have been a lot of begging, borrowing and stealing going on throughout the mid west to come up with that many sets of clothing spanning that many years. But it is indicative of the fact that the people who worked on this film -- cast and crew alike --put a lot of love into the project... and it shows up on the screen. Can't wait to see the parts that weren't in the trailer. P.S. Can't vote yet. Haven't seen the whole thing.
Excellent film from a new talent in Hollywood, Hurray!
posted on 05 May 2009This film is marvelous, I was able to have a sneak peak as a student here at the U of M because my teacher (Tom Pope) actually aided in the screenplay of this wonderful debut. Avoiding all the clichés of a typical Hollywood romance, this one doesn't go strait for the tear ducts but if it doesn't warm those puppies up by the end than you're a heartless person. Excellent cast, story and directing, I cannot wait till this is out there for the public. There was a Q&A afterward with the director (Ali) and the producers, and it was so interesting to hear and see their processes in their own words, wonderful men who deserve all the success in the world with this film, a great movie for all ages, truly original and moving.
Spread the word about this gem
posted on 01 May 2009I can't add anything to what the positive commenters here have written. Just that if you live in any city where this film is playing or is about to play, now in November of 2006 (the website is www.sweetlandmovie.com where you can see the cities)...go grab friends and support this indie gem. I've seen it twice already, and it still moves me whenever i play the trailer on the website.That gorgeous poster now on my wall is a daily reminder. If there's any justice, this film will be a dark horse contender in the Oscar race a few months from now. Let's hope the word spreads in LA, where it opened today.The vast movie-going public, not counting young kids who are used to fast paced stories, will LOVE this film. It deserves to be more widely known.
A labor of (yawn) love
posted on 23 Apr 2009Yes, it's earnest, well-intentioned, and graced by talented people both in front of and behind the camera, and yes, it's the sort of movie that film festival audiences react to with gushes of praise, but the truth is, this obvious labor of love is glacially paced, awkwardly constructed, and excruciatingly dull. "Narrative drive" is clearly of minor concern during these proceedings. There are some pleasing images, the cast is attractive and well chosen, and one can't help but give it points for being a worthy effort, but overall "Sweet Land" can best be categorized as a "noble failure." (Note the electric light-switch by the door in a scene with Ned Beatty. If the house has electricity, why is everyone using kerosene lamps?)
A terrific movie
posted on 16 Feb 2009I thoroughly enjoyed this. It's a slice of life just like "Waking Ned Devine" with the addition of it being a period piece and set in humorous Minnesota. With 50% of my genetics based in Scandinavia this could have been the story of my grandparents. The camera that was such a prized possession of my grandfather looked just like the one used at the farm. The farmhouse looked right out of the Sears Robuck catalog. The cast was wonderful. For a "small inde" a very nice mix of "knowns" with unknowns. As a fan of Alex Kingston she was a great surprise! And also perfect for that role. Hard to believe this was a first time effort for the director/screen writer. Also had the good fortune to attend a showing in the Milwaukee area with the director present to introduce the film and to follow it up with a Q&A session. That made the evening a 10, even if I only gave the movie a 9. I now understand my grandmothers' coffee!
I didn't like this movie.
posted on 19 Jan 2009I give it a five instead of 3 because I didn't watch all of it; I couldn't bring myself to watch anymore of it. Odds and ends: 1. The two pre-title sequences were much too long. So much so that tedium began to set in. 'Teases' should be just that; a hook to whet your interest. I also found the two sequences slightly difficult to understand. 2. I understand this was a first time director so slack must be cut. However, camera placement was poor in a lot of the set- ups.....awkwardness. 3. Music was simplistic and therefore heavy handed. 4. The cars, rented from overprotective antique car buffs, were always so spotlessly clean. Isn't this 1920 farmland America? Actually, everything I saw in my foreshortened viewing was squeaky clean and over- scrubbed. 5. Since Olaf was Norwegian and believed he was 'sent' a Norwegian bride-to-be, why wouldn't he at least speak the language to her, however shy he was? 6. Alan Cumming's character should have been named, 'Nonny Sequitur'. 7. Finally, I think director Selim was channeling Norman Rockwell cause that's what the total effect was for me, a Norman Rockwell painting.
Selim found Malick
posted on 24 Dec 2008"Remember, remember always that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists." Franklin D. Roosevelt Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven set in the Texas farmland of the early last century has enough melodrama to satisfy the leanest soap-opera longing. The opposite of that film is Sweet Land, set in the farmlands of Minnesota with a Norwegian culture that would make Puritans turn around and run. German Inge (Elizabeth Reaser) comes to America as a mail-order bride during WWII.Nobody in Minnesota except Inge's prospective groom and his friendly neighbor, Frandsen (Alan Cumming), is comfortable with a German in their congregation. Thus ensues the conflict pitting this innocent immigrant and her nave but endearing future husband, Olaf (Tim Guinee), against a xenophobic, bigoted congregation, embodied in the pastor, Rev. Sorrensen (John Heard).Flannery O'Connor's Displaced Person depicts a similar situation where the outsider is shunned but still influences the lives of the entire town because of his charismatic yet unobtrusive idealism. In Sweet Land, Inge will not be denied her right to love Olaf and live a productive farm life. She's a heroine to be admired, strong willed, silently sexy, and growing daily in her understanding of English and American life. It would be impossible for any healthy heterosexual not to be moved by the delicious restriction that makes Olaf sleep in the barn before he and Inge marry.First-time director Ali Selim has successfully found the Melick genius for depicting vast mid-west landscapes as metaphor for romantic, isolating worlds where the struggle for independence is more difficult than on the busy streets of New York. Director Selim and cinematographer Davis Tumbley have created compositions so rich in period spirit that the long shots following extreme close-ups beautifully reinforce the theme of the individual against the collective indifference of the land and congregation.Sweet Land is a small film about small people in a small world where "banking and farming don't mix." The contemporary resonance is obvious: To brand all Muslims in our midst as terrorists is to make the fatal logistic flaw of generalizing from few instances. Sweet Land goes on to show that all parts of this world do mix, leading to a melting pot that is surely a hoped-for 21st—century America.
Touching story of life in America's heartland of the 1920's.
posted on 29 Oct 2008Sweet Land touched my heart. My roots are from the same farming background as Olaf and Inge's. Seeing them brought back stories and memories of my own growing up and family history. It slowed down the pace for just a little while and brought back into focus what should really matter in life--and that is the people you journey though it with. The story is simple and yet it is far deeper and more touching than most movies that hit the screen today. It is a story of hardship and the joy and pride that come from hard work. It is a love story and a story of strength. And it is a story with humor and valuable lessons that I believe America's heartland was raised on. It also shares a mindset of a time gone by, an understanding of why our grandparents and parents thought as they did and believed the things they believed. When we know and understand the past, it helps shape and lead us to the future. I appreciate the time and energy that went into the making of this film. It is a treasure.
gorgeous landscape portrait love story
posted on 29 Sep 2008As a total movie addict, I was very surprised after attending a screening of this film to be so overwhelmed by the quality of the photography and the depth of the acting.The visual images in this film are simple, yet breathtakingly beautiful in their composition. It is a rare masterpiece with amazing use of time, depth and perspective. The development of the romantic tension between the main characters in the love story was so powerful and yet so subtle, that it was like a fresh breath mint on a cold January morning.The used of time and flashbacks is amazing, and the editing and pace of the movie is very accomplished for an independent, low budget film. I will not be surprised if I hear about this move at Oscar time.
Nicely paced film with the Minnesota landscape playing a character
posted on 25 Sep 2008I saw this at the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck, Michigan.Now that I think about it, this was actually a good movie. At the time while watching it, it felt long and kind of slow, but looking back, I guess it was the right approach. Directed by Ali Selim and starring Tim Guine, Elizabeth Reaser, and Alan Cumming, it's about a woman, Inge from Norway immigrating to the US in the 1920 and staying on a farm in Minnesota. She doesn't speak much English, so a lot of the time she's adjusting to the surroundings and trying to make herself useful. She's set to marry Olaf (Guine) one of the farmers. The two are both pretty quiet, so it's nice to see their relationship blossom.The scenery is excellent, filmed on location in Minnesota. It's told in a flashback of a flashback. In present time a man is sitting next to his grandmother's bed as she dies. He remembers when he was younger and was at his grandfather's funeral. He and his grandmother were sitting and she told him of the story that is the film. It sounds like an out of place set up, but it actually fits quite nicely.This movie gets better over time, and though at the time while watching it it didn't seem very memorable, afterwards I found that I really enjoyed it. Give it a chance.
The plot summary, and the trailer, both suggest a really great movie. Sweet and pretty girl from Norway comes to America,over comes struggles, and finds love.
posted on 17 Jun 2008And I think that's what many viewers pass their ultimate judgment on - what they think the movie is about.The actual movie, though, falls far short. Let me count the ways.It's pace, if there is one, is glacial.Olaf, for most of the movie is beyond shy and retiring, he's border line retarded.The minister hates Inge with a passion, then does a 180, decides he loves the girl, based on....what? Seeing her work hard in the corn field? The neighbors raise $7,000 and give it to Olaf so Olaf can keep his farm? No, to keep his neighbor's farm, which he bought without any money. When his 'bid' was the highest, all the banker lets the other bidders, the ones with real money, take off, despite knowing that Olaf does have anywhere near enough money.On the other hand, viewers were fortunate enough to see what was probably the prettiest immigrant girl who came across the ocean. Lucky Olaf.The general concept could have resulted in a really sweet movie - the actual story line was thread bear.
Sweet Land...A Great American Film.....About Immigrants
posted on 01 Jun 2008Upon watching the film and even after, it was quite different from anything I have seen about how the Germans were treated in the United States after the First World War. Watching the film, and seeing how the town minister acted upon learning the woman was from Germany, it seemed as though he promoted bigotry, and as a minister of the word of God, he really has no place doing so (one man's opinion), but I guess things happened like this no matter what. The reason I felt the way I did, which is in favor of the German woman, was because what real harm could she really possess? I mean, my family came from Germany before the turn of the last century, so I would assume that they could have had this bigotry happen to them, which makes me feel the way I do about the woman in the film. I believe if I had been alive during the time period portrayed in the film, I would have most likely been an outcast as well, for my beliefs could weigh me down. The Lord says we should accept people as they are, and I know I haven't done my best to suit such, but when two people love each other, as these two in the film came to do, doubt shouldn't be about.Even the world in which we live, there are cynics and there are lovers, the best of which are those that love. I know people from each side of the aisle, so to say, and they each have a great argument, but at the end of the day God teaches us to love unconditionally, which sometimes is hard to do and therefore, I know what the minister was going through. It's all a part of each of our lives that we have to outgrow. God willing, we can learn to love and accept without end.
Great Love story
posted on 02 May 2008I usually don't watch love stories but this was an exception and it is an exceptional film. Even my wife enjoyed it. I wonder how I never heard of it when it first came around. Set in the upper Mid-West just after World War I, it is the tale of a German mail order bride who speaks no English, and of her heartfelt struggles to be accepted in the community, which is still suffering from a War spawned hatred of Germans, and to get married. It is a period piece which accurately describes conditions as they were at that time, except we never see the outhouse, a common fixture on farms until running water became available.If the picture has any shortcomings, it is that if you don't understand German, you never know what she is saying. Sub-titles would have been helpful but then perhaps viewers would not grasp the difficulty of the situation if they knew what was being said. Another one, is that the story, which is told in flashbacks, just doesn't go far enough with the part just before she is to get married. But the beginning and the endings mesh together very well and leaves a viewer with a sense of completeness.
Great Movie
posted on 02 May 2008This movie was A-W-E-S-O-M-E. It was brilliantly executed, well acted and perfectly paced. If I had to muster one complaint I would say that there were a few spots where the music telegraphed a little too much of what we were supposed to be feeling. Aside from that it was just wonderful. Set soon after World War 1, in a time when we knew the difference between good and bad, still had real heroes, played Baseball and believed that tomorrow would be better than today, the movie is a phenomenal commentary on what it is to be an American. It tells a story of "simple farmers with honest dreams" who are struggling to become English speaking Americans as small town mores and governmental paranoia work to keep them apart. It has a kind of "Days of Heaven" vibe, but I actually liked this more than Malick's film. The light and photography are great (nice to see someone using film again!) and a lot of the frames are composed like paintings - the spirit of American Gothic is evoked more than once.The lead actress, Elizabeth Reaser is great - she wears her entire inner-life on her face and communicates the whole of her emotional spectrum with a look, a nod or a raised the eyebrow without ever going over the top or getting overly-sentimental.But perhaps the film's greatest strength is the fact that the filmmakers never stooped to sacrifice their character's humanity to make a political point. Yes, the message of this film is timely but often times with material like this, filmmakers have a horrible tendency to impose their will on the characters and either get condescending or put words in their mouths. It was wonderful that all involved here trusted the material enough to not do that.This film deserves more a lot recognition than it's getting. It's a damn shame.
A surprise.
posted on 28 Apr 2008My wife and I wanted to go to the movies last Friday. We didn't know what was playing so we just stopped at the theatre to see the billings. We had not even seen a preview for this movie so we knew that we were taking a chance at paying $16 for a bomb of a movie. For about the first 5 minutes we were sure that this was going to be a snoozer. It was slow moving at the start and a tad confusing. Nevetheless we were pleasantly surprised as the movie continued to progress. It is a simple yet complex story. Simple in that its setting - North Midwest in the 1920's afford less of the modern complexities that are interwoven into most of the recent love stories. Complex in that love is never a simple affair especially when under the pressure of social restraints. In the end it turned out to be a great tear invoking movie.
A lovely film which deserves to be widely seen
posted on 06 Apr 2008'Sweet Land' manages a difficult feat: it is a historical film with a clear message for the present, yet it avoids becoming either nostalgically cloying or preachily shrill. "Banking and farming don't mix" is not merely a phrase heard several times; it is the key to the confrontation of two utterly different, and utterly irreconcilable, attitudes toward land and life. Ned Beatty, as the chief banker, embodies the one, driven by money and power, harshly and repellently (it's a superb performance), but he and his few allies, and what they stand for, cannot completely overwhelm what most of the other characters, major and minor, believe in and represent: the importance of human connections, with each other and with the jobs they must carry out.There is scarcely a false step in this film. Elizabeth Reaser brings Inge to life completely believably and very poignantly. We truly care about this woman, a fact made all the more astonishing when we realize that for a sizable part of the film she speaks in languages most of the American audience will not understand. It's one of the best performances I've seen in a long time. Similarly convincing is Tim Guinee as Olaf, her perplexed husband-to-be. His struggles to overcome prejudice (his own and that of his neighbors) are played with a delightful mix of humor, pathos, and inner strength which mirror the complex set of forces with which he must deal. Much the same could be said, albeit on a smaller scale, of the lesser parts; these performers inhabit these roles as if they had already lived them for real. Watch the interactions between Alan Cumming and Alex Kingston, for example; these are two people who are deeply and genuinely in love, but who recognize and accept the flaws of the other. There is no conventional 'happy marriage' insipidity here-- with the result that their marriage comes across as truly happy in a far more profound manner than so many others on screen.Visually the film is often lovely. It is not as lusciously filmed as Terrence Malick's 'Days of Heaven', with which it shares an underlying approach, but it also avoids the occasional glossiness which undercut the down-to-earth elements of the earlier film's plot. Here the images rarely feel forced, and never overwhelm the intense sense of physical presence so vital to both plot and message. Also powerful is the use of two framing stories, linked to but not dependent upon the central plot. Indeed, the emotional climax of the film actually resides in the contemporary story, something we will not realize until almost the very end of the film. What seems a mere narrative trick suddenly resonates with tremendous power, and brings home the film's central theme beautifully yet without undue emphasis.The flaws are few. The music, usually vaguely folksy without being especially engaging, is more than once rather too modern in its feel and too diffuse in its impact to support the visuals. The music is the weakest element in the film; at times it sounds almost as if the decision to add music was taken so late in production that all that was possible was some improvisational doodling, which fits neither the delicately shaped mood nor the careful pacing and structuring of the action. The important part of Minister Sorrensen is a bit awkwardly written, with his changes of outlook being rather too sudden; John Heard's performance, though thoughtful, could likewise be more nuanced (he was probably responding to the part as written, but in this case he would have been better off to play against the script). 'Sweet Land' is a beautiful, funny, and often very moving film, with a deep and respectful sense of history and human relations. Both the action and the thoughts it provokes will linger long after the curtain closes. The film has much to offer, and I recommend it very highly.
Sloppy
posted on 02 Apr 2008It is true that "Sweet Land" would have been a better picture with the non-1920s segments removed. But that is not the major problem of the film. The general lack of thinking that permeates this picture along with the slow pace dooms it to failure.Example: In this very strange first generation Norwegian-American community, no one speaks Norwegian. How many first generation immigrant communities do not speak their native tongue at least amongst themselves? None.Example: The actors are supposed to be speaking German and Norwegian at one point. But because no one seemed to care to teach them (even if only phonetically) actual dialog, they spout gibberish that is suppose to sound Norwegian and German.Example: The anti-German World War One feelings are so high that the community refuses to accept the lead female character. But by the time of the story, the war had been over for four years. The losing Germans were no longer the enemy. The anti-German feelings no longer existed...especially from new immigrants. Norway did not battle the way the French and English did.Example: Two of the major characters played by Alan Cumming and John Heard have no motivation to do what they do, except that it advances the story in the direction the filmmakers want to go.Example: The one nude scene is totally gratuitous. Who takes a bath in the living room at four in the morning and then falls asleep in the tub? Only the bride-to-be of a farmer who is so dumb that he fails to see her and instead washes in the yard would know.These are just a few of the "sloppy" problems of the film. There is the slide show, the auction, the size of the wheat field, the bankers, the neighbors...You get the picture.If you have an overwhelming need to see Elizabeth Reaser's backside, then you will enjoy this film. Otherwise, you're just wasting your time.
Beautifully filmed and poignantly acted
posted on 19 Mar 2008Beautfully filmed and poignantly acted, this fine film takes it time to tell the story of so many immigrants who faced discrimination and were alienated from the new society they were coming to. We are drawn to the strength of the love that develops between Olaf and Inge and indeed the children they were to have came from a relationship of love and admiration between two remarkable people. Wonderful musical score and cinematography. The use of shadows and alternative horizon lines add to the drama. The artistic use of, at different times, the staircase became part of the love/sexual drama between the couple. First he was absolutely unwelcome because of custom and not necessarily how she felt. Then eventually, their life together caused her to see and feel how welcome he was regardless of the tradition of the local society and the church. Raymond and Carolyn Velez
Sweet Land indeed
posted on 29 Aug 2009This movie gives you an appreciation of how hard life was for our ancestors. We take so much for granted and this movie helps me stay grounded. My vote is a 9, of the movies I've seen recently only Apocalypto beats it. The subtle humor is fabulous and I'm sure you will miss it if you don't pay attention. I saw this movie at a matinée with only 2 other quiet people, matinée's at obscure theatres rock! Congratulations to Ali Selim on an excellent film. The scene where a pastor is reminded that Martin Luther was German makes me think about how war (or perceived war) pollutes our minds and creates enemies of people we can't possibly understand or know. Babel and Sands of Iwo Jima are other great movies that point this out. All of us have certain prejudices that can grow ugly when cliques feed off each other. I guess it's too much to ask for people to have open minds. Thank the good Lord that we have movies to remind us that the right thing to do isn't always the most popular one.