Sweetland 2005

     This film is based on a 1989 short story, A Gravestone Made of Wheat by Will Weaver.  Inge is German and in 1920 she travels from Norway to rural Minnesota to become a bride in an arranged marriage to Olaf, a Norwegian farmer.  She doesn’t have the proper papers and the local minister doesn’t want to marry them.  He is also worried about her German background because of WWI.  He writes to her hometown for more information about her.  She stays with the Torvik family and they have nine children.  It’s a happy family but there isn’t much room.  Later, she moves to Olaf’s farm and he sleeps in the barn.  The minister doesn’t think this is proper and he preaches a sermon against them.  The wheat harvest is ready to be reaped and none of the people in town will help them or use their equipment on Olaf’s land because of the sermon.  The Torvik family is behind on their mortgage and their home goes up for auction.  Olaf bids $7000 on the property but he doesn’t have the money.  He doesn’t know why he made the bid?  If he can’t come up with the money, the auctioneers will take his farm.

     This movie begins at the end of the story with the death of Olaf and then goes back to the arrival of Inge.  This is slow moving but the characters become interesting and also the drama of their lives.  Later in the movie, there is a change in the townspeople because how Olaf and Inge behave.  3* (This movie is OK)

110 min, Drama directed by Ali Selim with Elizabeth Reaser, Lois Smith, Patrick Heusinger, Stephen Pelinski, Tim Guinee, Robert Hogan, Alan Cumming, Alex Kingston, Paul Sand, Jodie Markell, Sage Kermes, Kirsten Frantzich.

Note:  Imdb 7.3 out of 10, 85% critic 83% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 168 reviews.

Special Note:  This movie was filmed in Dawson Minnesota.  There is a mistake, the Farmall “F” series tractor was not made until 1932.  In the original short story, the gravestone made of wheat referred to Inge burying Olaf on the farm property.  Extra seed was used on his grave to make a larger area of wheat in that place.