Sunset Song 2015

     This film takes place in the 10 years of 1910 in Scotland and it is based on a novel by Lewis Grassic Gibbon.  Christine Guthrie is the oldest daughter of John Guthrie.  She has a brother Will and two younger brothers.  Her mother has just given birth to twin babies.  John treats Will horribly and Will decides to leave the farm.  Their mother and the two babies die leaving Chris to take care of the house.  The two younger brothers are sent to live with an aunt and uncle.  Chris had been studying to be a teacher but she puts her books aside. 

     In Scotland the only thing that always continues on is the land.  The people come and go and they die off.  John Guthrie is a very cold and cruel man.  He believes he owns his kin like cattle or property.  This is based on the lives of this time period and the behaviors in this land.  It’s a tough watch and you continually wish things would be better but they aren’t.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

135 min, Drama directed by Terence Davies with Kevin Guthrie, Peter Mullan, Mark Bonnar, Agyness Deyn, Ron Donachie, Stuart Bowman, Daniela Nardini, Jack Greenlees, Niall Greig Fulton, Hugh Ross.

Note:  Imdb 6.5 out of 10, 82% critic 52% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 4*, Amazon 2.6* out of 5* with 48 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Glen Tanar Estate, Glenmiuick, Arubthnott, Fettercairn, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK; Railway Station, Luxembourg; New Zealand.  The exterior photography was on 70mm film and the interiors were filmed on digital cameras.  One reviewer has heard the book read and the story dramatized on radio. Terence Davies has also directed  The Deep Blue Sea of 2011.