Film

Movie theaters, reviews and showtimes in New York, plus articles, trailers and more
 

Sweet Land (2005)

Director: Ali Selim

4
Average user rating
No reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

It’s quite astonishing that ‘Sweet Land’  is the debut feature film of writer-director Ali Selim, as it displays a veteran’s emotional sophistication, storytelling vigour and mellow, yet measured, approach to pacing. Set in the rolling cornfields of 1920s Minnesota, this modest, thoroughly winning film takes in the experiences of beautiful German immigrant Inge (Elizabeth Reaser) and her numerous, mostly unconstructive encounters with smalltown politics, culture, commerce, family values and religion.

Firmly eschewing fish-out-of-water clichés, the film instead serves as a plaintive document of Inge’s plight, which is seen via her hushed romance with prickly Norwegian farmer Olaf (Tim Guinee). Echoing Malick’s ‘Days of Heaven’ in the way it captures the majesty of the American countryside, this is a small gem that’s worth seeking out.

Author: David Jenkins 2008-09-02 11:33:26

Time Out London Issue 1985, 4-10 Sept

  • Print this page
  • Send to a friend

What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields


Sweet Land

Cast & crew

Director: Ali Selim

Cast: Elizabeth Reaser, Lois Smith, Tim Guinee, Patrick Heusinger, Stephen Pelinski, Alan Cumming full cast

Duration: 111 mins


Features

Making a name for himself

Making a name for himself

Sin Nombre's Cary Joji Fukunaga learned his lessons well.

To the letter

Forty years later, Costa-Gavras's Z still brims with fury.

Mind over matter

David Cronenberg reflects on a most bizarre body: his own corpus of work.

Fool's gold

Can an Oscar win lead to a cursed career? Here are five stories of postaward professional meltdowns.

We are the championed

Terrorists and teens abound in this year's "Film Comment Selects."

A history of violence

Matteo Garrone's kaleidoscopic Gomorrah wallops you with Italy's crime crisis.

True romantic

James Gray exchanges urban amorality for amour in Two Lovers.

Playing in the dark

MoMA salutes pianist Stuart Oderman's 50 years as the one-man sound of silents.

Junk bonds

Cast and crew recall the making of the classic NYC drug drama The Panic in Needle Park.