Land

this is the sort of film that should be shown in history classes in the USA.

BUT FIRST The IMDb summary of Land is not just deceptive but possibly designed to make you not watch it. It is not so much a mischaracterization but an actual slur. i.e. "But when the local fishermen, corrupted by new found power, begin acting in the same manner as the American developers" DOES NOT APPEAR IN THIS FILM.

Rather one or two shady Americans actually get their deserved Dickensian comeuppance. Half of the yanks in the movie are quite nice and opened minded. The local villagers were just reacting the way anyone reacts when abused by snobs with more money than sense.

I thought I might know the story and the summary seemed to promise little more than an homily on power. In fact as the other reviewer here says it is a fascinating and well balanced study of the kind of land speculation we see home and abroad. But in this case these American's ignorance of not just Nicaraguan history but of Hispanic culture generally seems so 1980's it's hard to imagine but there you are. Great story and characters on all sides and well told.

What a beautiful land, change will come but it should be in the hands of the people that hold it not those with just dollars in theirs.

Although I didn't have high hopes for this film initially I was quite blown away by the time the credits rolled.

Telling the classic story of power and colonialism without taking sides is never an easy task to pull off so swimmingly. Hats off.

Director Julian Pinder shows extreme maturity for his first full length feature. Having been down to Nicaragua myself on/off again over the last 20 years I found that he summed up the period from 2006 to present with astounding accuracy and a knack for humor.

With the 2006 election as the backdrop we learn many interesting facts about the complex revolutionary Daniel Ortega. Throughout the film we come to grips with the complexities of society and human nature. The situation in the film is not documented as simply good or bad. The film allows us stay relatively impartial to both the land developers and the locals in the tug of war of land. After all, Land is all they have.

Colourful characters and an interesting history help make this movie a must see for anyone interested in the country or simply a good story.

I do recommend.

Thank you.