When Lars Torvik’s grandmother Inge dies in 2004, he is faced with a decision – sell the family farm on...
When Lars Torvik’s grandmother Inge dies in 2004, he is faced with a decision – sell the family farm on which she lived since 1920, or cling to the legacy of the land.
Flashback to: Inge arrives in Minnesota in 1920 to marry a young Norwegian farmer named Olaf but her German heritage and lack of official immigration papers makes her an object of suspicion in the small town, and she and Olaf are forbidden to marry. Alone and adrift, Inge goes to live with the family of Olaf’s friend and neighbor Frandsen and his wife Brownie, where she learns the English language, American ways, and a hard-won independence.
Inge and Olaf slowly come to know each other, and fall in love. Still unable to marry, they live together openly, despite the scorn of the neighbors and the disapproval of the local minister. But when his friend Frandsen’s farm is threatened by foreclosure, Olaf takes a stand, and the community unites around the young couple, finally accepting Inge as one of their own.
Flashback to: Inge arrives in Minnesota in 1920 to marry a young Norwegian farmer named Olaf but her German heritage and lack of official immigration papers makes her an object of suspicion in the small town, and she and Olaf are forbidden to marry. Alone and adrift, Inge goes to live with the family of Olaf’s friend and neighbor Frandsen and his wife Brownie, where she learns the English language, American ways, and a hard-won independence.
Inge and Olaf slowly come to know each other, and fall in love. Still unable to marry, they live together openly, despite the scorn of the neighbors and the disapproval of the local minister. But when his friend Frandsen’s farm is threatened by foreclosure, Olaf takes a stand, and the community unites around the young couple, finally accepting Inge as one of their own.
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85 %72 reviewsRotten Tomatoes® rating
83 %6,746 reviewsAudience score rating
"Sweet Land was like watching paint dry – only not as interesting because there were no fumes to induce halloaecinagenic visions. I spent the first half waiting to be interested, to be gripped by immigrant tales of overcoming adversity and prejudice to triumph in a grand, painterly Mid West landscape. I was urging some gritty undercurrent to take me away into a magical filmic land, but instead I was left gagging to get out of there, and had I not been reviewing I would have fled the theatre."
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Flicks
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Flicks"Intelligently written, brilliantly cast and thesped story of a German mail order bride in a Norwegian-American community in Minnesota just after WWI never hits a wrong note..."
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Variety
Variety"The film’s guileless, heartfelt style veers perilously close to corniness at times, but the superb cast dares you to mock...."
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The New York Times
The New York Times"Demonstrating a mastery of the medium that belies his status as a first-time feature filmmaker, writer-director Ali Selim has crafted in Sweet Land a tale of pure Americana that speaks both to the immigrant experience and the nature of love..."
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Hollywood Reporter
Hollywood Reporter"An unusual look at love and how it can unexpectedly develop. Those for whom the concept of an arranged marriage is foreign will get a little history lesson on the immigrant experience watching this sweetly engrossing film..."
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San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle"It's winsome, sentimental and lovely in a minor-key way..."
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Salon
Salon"A type of American independent we don't see often enough..."
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Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles TimesSweet Land | Details
- Runtime
- 110
- Genre
- Drama
- Country of origin
- USA
