At once epic and intimate, Sweet Land offers a stirring account of love and hardship which, aside from a muffed Capra moment towards the end, hardly puts a foot wrong.
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09/05/08
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Sweet Land (2006)
84 %
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 70
Fresh: 59
Rotten:11
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Consensus: Finding the right balance between subtle and sentimental, Sweet Land moves beyond other similarly-themed dramas with evocative cinematography that plays an equal role to the talented cast.
Theatrical Release: Oct 18, 2006 Limited
Box Office: $1,265,486
Synopsis: Winner of the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2005 Hamptons International Film Festival, Sweet Land is a poignant and lyrical celebration of land, love, and the American immigrant experience. When Lars Torvik’s... [More]
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Reviews for Sweet Land
Nostalgic, gentle, loving: the elegiac mood set against endless rural space inevitably suggests Malick’s Days of Heaven. What next from this considerable talent?
09/05/08
Our movie of the week – which isn’t saying much – arrives in the shape of this atmospheric slice of Americana about an arranged marriage deep in the heart of rural Minnesota.
09/05/08
Pleasant surprise of the week, a US indie so unashamedly romantic about pie, cornfields, family and baseball you could be forgiven for thinking you were watching a Presidential campaign video.
09/05/08
Here is a nicely photographed, but bland, insipid and weirdly passive-aggressive little film.
09/05/08
Minnesota between the wars is a bone yard for dreams, yet, like Babette’s Feast, the film plucks a tiny miracle from stony ground.
09/05/08
Sweet Land could have been mawkish and overly sentimental, but Selim has a light touch and the film is intelligent, sensitive and sweet.
09/05/08
Echoing Malick’s ‘Days of Heaven’ in the way it captures the majesty of the American countryside, this is a small gem that’s worth seeking out.
09/05/08
The son of an Egyptian immigrant, the Minnesota born Selim demonstrates a startling intimacy and empathy for his characters, but infuses his story with a candid tough love for their weaknesses.
07/03/07
Characters' motivations and behaviours wobble all over the map - even within single scenes - making for a profoundly frustrating and disappointing experience for viewers.
07/02/07
Sweet Land isn't so silly as to say 'love conquers all', but it reminds us, sometimes ecstatically, that love can conquer a lot.
06/02/07
Top Critic a gentle, well-observed drama... old-fashioned but in a good sense. ...Reaser and Guinee are such open, animated actors that Inge and Olaf's emotions are easily understandable even if their words are not.
03/09/07
A torturously slow meditation on the tribulations of immigrant farmers that strains for an elegiac tone.
03/01/07
Top Critic The low budget hasn't prevented the filmmakers from taking care with details. The film's almost palpable: You feel the coldness of the blue, forbidding sky and smell the bristling dustiness of the harvest-ready wheat.
02/09/07
Latest News for Sweet Land
May 12, 2007:
Trailer & Poster review 
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April 12, 2007:
Sweet Land is brave and touchingly executed cinematic storytelling that explores the lives of these immigrants with extraordinary insight.
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November 28, 2006:
RTIndie: "Little Miss Sunshine," "Half Nelson" Lead Indie Spirit Award Noms
It's time again to celebrate the best that indie-land has to offer. The Spirit Award nominees are out, with "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Half Nelson" leading... More...
October 23, 2006:
RTIndie: David Lynch, Terry Gilliam Living on the Edge of Hollywood
It's a tough time to be a veteran in the indie game. Why are celebrated auteurs David Lynch and Terry Gilliam having a hard time getting their films into theaters? More...
Related Forums for Sweet Land
(2006)-Ali Selim's SWEET LAND scores TWO Independent SPIRIT nomination!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 2/24/07
by: REEL_REVIEWER 2/24/07
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