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Movie Review: Sweet Land is Sweet!
By Julie | February 15, 2008
A few months ago Marc and I rented a movie we had never heard of, called Sweet Land. We were in the mood for a nice, simple movie with a good plot; we found it in this show. In fact, when we watched, I planned to write about it for a Valentine’s Day post. Then, we got carried away with other topics this week and didn’t post the review. So, here it is, for a post-Valentine’s Day suggestion. Or, just consider it an idea for the video store this weekend (if it sounds interesting to you).
Sweet Land is a story that follows Inge, a woman from Germany, who comes to the US to be a mail order bride for Olaf, a quiet Norwegian immigrant. Though he doesn’t have a lot to say, he works hard on his farm. Inge, however, doesn’t miss a word, even though upon her arrival she speaks VERY little English.
Immediately after picking Inge up at the train station, they go to the local minister to be married. To their surprise, the minister forbids their marriage. Why? Because Inge is German, and the show takes place in 1920 (and the war with Germany still fresh in everyone’s minds).
Slowly, through Inge’s spunk and determination, and Olaf’s serious, steady, hard work, the couple falls in love
But this movie is a lot more that a love story. It has some wonderful, timeless messages, like hard work, and kindness pay off, and that there are rewards for doing good. It doesn’t forget the age-old lesson of the harmfulness of stereotypes, reminding us when we look past the pre-concieved notions; most people are good at heart.
The majority of the film is on the farm, scene after scene takes place in or near fields. We even get to see Inge and Olaf harvesting their fields by hand. They didn’t own a tractor. No IPods or cell phones in this show. Today we are so hooked on technology; it takes a part of every aspect of our lives. I think that’s one of the most amazing things about the film. I read recently that years ago, people used to spend 90% of their time outside, with many of them working a crop. Today, the figures say we spend 90% of our time inside, and never know what happens to our food before we get it. This movie goes to back in time for a bit, and recalls what life was before the “necessities” of technology liberated us, but tied us down. When people worked the fields with their own hands, if someone wanted to get a hold of you, they walked to where you were harvesting. There were no text messages, or cell phones. And for a two hour movie, I really like their simple lives where they weren’t called away before the work was done. (Fast forward 80 plus years, and the world is a much different place.
This film is very clean, there are no cuss words (unless they were slipped in in German when Inge gets mad at Olaf.) I can’t recall any violence. There is absolutely no pornography; the couple is not even shown kissing. And the show does not showcase any substance abuse: no alcohol or drugs in this one. The movie may not be very interesting for young children, but older kids should be able to watch it with no worries from their parents about the content they are viewing.
If you see it, I hope you enjoy it!
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