Review of Sweet Land

Sweet Land sometimes plods along by showing a pedestrian way of life in rural America some 70 years ago or so. We see church and field work along with the community xenophobia involved with immigration. This story has been done before in variation and so feels clichéd. But overlooking that and despite the pacing, your patience will be rewarded with some very good acting by US actors portraying Norwegian and German immigrants (the 2 leads) attempting to marry. Their hardship is as much with language as with the social community. You can feel their frustration with trying to adapt and change, as well as the feeling of being shunned. I enjoyed the acceptance of the community and of each other redeeming their plight. They're own discovery of one another is also touching. The camera picks up rural settings - colors and sounds very well, and the cast as a whole are very competent. Enjoyable performances, settings, and social story wins out over its minor flaws.