Au nom de la terre

No pun intended - farmers and burn out - those were the days. Sorry not the days where that happened. But when you could write a few words and be done with your review. I still like to write a bit more than necessary, but on some movies, less is more. This movie right here is important to give us an insight into inheritance, inot life and legacy ... into mental illness too. Not mine of course (yes I watch a lot ... of movies, which makes me able to rate and review a lot too) ... but that of the main character.

Farmers do have a lot to do - a lot to stomach. With their family being torn and maybe even wanting to leave for the city. There is a reason many have issues. Too many to really solve all of them or even touch upon them in one movie (or review) .. but the movie does try to make it as accessible as possible. Kudos for that ...

Is a movie that touches my heart, so real and inspiring.when i saw it I could place my life there , ant think how hard is to reach our dreams and how fast they can finish , the farmers life is so hard but is so great to live it , God leave everything under control and He wants us to enjoy all He have created , life go so fast and we have to live it the best !! Doing the best for others !! Our family is a great gift and we have to love them and fight for them ! I want to see the movie again but I can't find it !! I don't understand how a beautiful movie is so hard to find!! Good actors good director !!!

Pierre takes over his fathers farm at the age of twenty five. He loves the land and his family, wife and two children. They are a happy tightly knit unit and it seems there's no hardship they cannot overcome. But as the debts mount and the business spirals out of control, how long will it be until Pierre breaks under the pressure?

IN THE NAME OF THR LAND is an unflinching look at what it is to be a farmer in France. The beauty, the isolation, the rewarding hard work and the financial reward that doesn't always match the effort that was put in. The best thing about the film is the acting. Guillaume Canet deserves an Oscar for his portrayal of a good man in crisis.

Eduardo Bergeron is a documentary director and the film at times feels as such. You almost expect a voice over commenting on what's going on. Bergeron does not use the shaky camera move or first person shots to make the movie feel real. The tension and drama here comes solely through the performances and supported by the wonderful soundtrack of Thomas Doppelo - the disc should make pleasant stand alone listening.

IN THE NAME OF THE LAND is not an easy film to sit through. It could lose a 10 minutes or so from its running time, but even in shorter form it's hard to watch the characters you deeply care about being emotionally destroyed on screen. This is where the film succeeds and where it fails. There's rarely a ray of hope in the story. IN THE NAME OF THE LAND is a devastating experience.

I saw this at a one off showing at the Glasgow Film Festival. Beautifully made and played by a great cast, it was so quietly powerful. A good role model on social comment in movies as there was no self righteous lecturing from the director and it was all the more effective for that. Please do see. Oh, and the music was great and appropriately used.

Not only a story about farmers conditions but also about passionated people facing burn out...