Beneath the Harvest Sky

Wow. I thought this one had some potential. But as stated in the title, it was absolutely painful. I'm not saying it wasn't without merit. The cinematography was pretty good. Definitely not a small, budget film. And the acting was decent. It's just that the storyline was miserable. It takes place in a bleak Maine town near the Canadian border. There are pretty much no jobs except for picking potatoes. So the kids in the movie have no future to look forward to. One of them gets his girlfriend knocked up. And naturally, there get into running drugs. As it turns out, this is one of those movies I quit halfway through. There was nothing pleasant about it. '

If you're in the mood to get really depressed, check it out. You'll love the miserable characters.

--MovieJunkieMark.

The ending could not have been more perfect. It really brought together the whole story; a circular structure that will leave you undoubtedly moved. I really enjoyed this film... Such a unique story that's explores an interesting and often overlooked way of life; the potato harvesting industry in Maine. It was unlike anything I had seen before, aided by fanatic performances from all of the cast! Everything felt very real. It was interesting to discover that the talented writers and directors - Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly - come from a documentary background! This was definitely incited into the film, with the extremely raw elements of realism. Beautifully written and shot too! I highly recommend this film. It's something out of the ordinary yet it has a deep sense of sorrow and empathy that we can indeed all relate to. Kudos to everyone involved! Great film.

This movie is so touching and honest it gives me the chills to this day looking back on it. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who is looking for a heartfelt movie with a realistic approach to teenagers growing up in a rough town, whose main goal is to escape it for a better reality. The score is absolutely beautiful and provides a reprieve from the darkness of this film. McAuliffe's and Cohen's performances are very raw and excellently portray two best friends who are extremely loyal to one another despite their differences. I could feel their connection and it never ever felt less than 100% authentic. The other supporting actors were equally as good. Throughout this movie you will continuously be sitting at the edge of your seat in anticipation. "You are here, but not for long"

I just read a review where they said you are on the edge of your seat with anticipation. I was on the edge of my seat bout to walk out maybe, but certainly not with anticipation. This movie was slow slow slow, and the sound trac only added to the crawl. Don't get me wrong I did give it a few stars, but that was only because the acting was plausible. If you didn't read the summary before watching you may have a hard time figuring out where exactly they are. Canada, Maine, Oklahoma (for the Tulsa reference)... but in the end you know where you are... on the edge of your seat thankful this movie has ended. On one side note this film does make you appreciate what you may have at your own home... kids with direction and responsibility. One last thing about this movie that bothered me, kinda. Everybody in the movie seemed angry and bitter. Is this little town so depressing that it causes such bitterness and unloving parents? Who knows. Watch this movie at your own risk. I recommend painting a wall before sitting down to watch. My guess is that you'll turn to the wall and watch that dry instead.

It's VanBuren, Maine. Dominic Roy (Callan McAuliffe) and Casper (Emory Cohen) are best friends. Casper's girlfriend Tasha (Zoe Levin) tells him that she's pregnant. He comes from a dysfunctional family. He disrupts class, breaking and entering for his criminal dad Clayton (Aidan Gillen) and hates his mother (Carrie Preston). Clayton pulls him into the world of smuggling drug in from Canada. Dominic hopes to move to Boston with Casper. He lives with his mother (Carla Gallo). He works hard on the potato farm to earn the money to buy a car. Nice girl Emma (Sarah Sutherland) is also working there to pay for college.

It has a lot of the trappings of indie filmmaking of today without the something special to distinguish it from the rest. It has the dysfunctional lower class folks. The story is unoriginal. It has the hand-held shaky camera work. The two leads just aren't special enough. They are fine actors but there are not stars. They don't show or allowed to show the spark that would energize this movie. It moves a bit too slowly and needs to elevate the danger much sooner.