American Fable 2016

     The setting of this film is the rural Midwest in the 1980’s during the period when a lot of family farms were going under.  Gitty is 11 years old and she lives on her family’s farm in Wisconsin with her parents and her older brother Martin.  She has a pet chicken she named Happy that she cares about Happy very much.  A large corporation is buying up a lot of the farms in her area.  Gitty worries that this will happen to their farm.  Her father Abe has an accident when he is trying to change a light bulb on a tall ladder.  He falls and he’s taken to the hospital.  The family sets up a hospital bed in their home to take care of him.  They can’t afford for him to be taken care of in the hospital or by a private nurse.  Gitty finds there is a man named Jonathan down in the silo on their land.  She doesn’t understand what he’s doing there but they become friends.

     There were many times when I didn’t understand what was going on in this film?  There is a lot of imagery and it must be the imagination of Gitty?  There were surprising moments and events I didn’t expect?  I didn’t like the cruel way Martin treats Gitty, not like a brother but like a bully.  Just because they have different personalities doesn’t mean he should get away with this behavior.   2* (I didn’t like this movie)

96 min, drama directed by Anne Hamilton with Peyton Kennedy, Richard Schiff, Kip Pardue, Marci Miller, Gavin MacIntosh, Zuleikha Robinson, Charlie Babbo, Spencer Moss, Rusty Schwimmer, Megan Renner Reick.

Note:  Imdb 6.3 out of 10, 69% critic 39% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3*, Amazon 2.9* out of 5* with 49 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Spring Green, Blanchardville and Pearl City, Wisconsin; Kent, Pecatonica, Stockton and Freeport, Illinois.  Gitty is short for Gertrude and she doesn’t like her name.