Sweet Land

A deliberately slow, seductively sweet tale of a mail-order bride and the excitement she incites in her betrothed—and his small, xenophobic town—commercials director Ali Selim’s feature paints a compelling picture of the American immigrant experience. Inge (the luminous Reaser) arrives in Minnesota in the 1920s, but due to her lack of papers—not to mention her German heritage—she is forbidden to marry the aloof Olaf (Guinee). The would-be spouses find mutual respect and eventually love as they struggle on the farm and fly in the face of bigotry. (Now playing; Click here for venues.) — Raven Snook