Just a Farmer

The movie portrays the heart wrenching story of how hardships of trying to keep a family farm afloat in today's world take a toll on mental health. In the aftermath of a suicide, a grieving widow must come to terms with her situation and decide if it's worthwhile to pursue farming.

Just on the surface level this movie addresses complex issues like depression, substance abuse, and isolation, but the best part is that beneath the surface it also tackles so much more, like the societal issues that create such problems. This movie offers a touching example of the resiliency and community efforts it takes just to keep food on the tables, but ever so subtly also calls attention to what needs to change in modern societies.

I'm writing this as both a farmer and as a psychologist. The accuracy of the portrayals in this film are spot on and certainly pull at your heart strings. I highly recommend it!

How do you make a film about death? Let alone suicide?

Scriptwriter Leila McDougall and director Simon Lyndon have done a good job with a difficult task.

Another reviewer of this movie talks about the "pared back script" - it's an excellent phrase that sums up how Lyndon and McDougall did it. The silence in this movie is brilliant - not only because suicide is a conversation stopper, but because silence is everywhere in country Australia.

It's worth noting that Lyndon was in the movie "The Thin Red Line" - directed by the renowned Terrence Malick. It seems he learnt a bit from Malick on how to make the landscape a character in a movie. Just a Farmer's cinematography is outstanding.

I really liked this movie & it held my interest all the way through even though it was about ordinary people just trying to live their life. One of the best aspects was the pared back script & great acting. I can't stand movies with non stop jabbering about nothing. It's very annoying.

Facial expressions conveyed emotion perfectly & you knew exactly what they were feeling at the time. An ordinary Australian family trying to get through a hard time the best way they could. The mess showed how depressed the mother was & the burst of acting out conveyed how the boy felt without being OTT. The strain between the sisters is never explained but the older one was a solid support when she realized how much they were struggling to cope. If you like steady, understated stories about real people dealing with tragedy you will like this movie.

I've come across my fair share of rural dramas, but Just a Farmer brings something fresh to the table. It's a slow burn, but it's one that quietly builds into something meaningful.

The cinematography is solid, really capturing the vast harsh beauty of the land. There's a rawness to it that feels grounded and authentic. The performances do a great job of portraying the internal battles of a man at his breaking point, yet still clinging to the land he loves.

What stands out is the way the film doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of farming life, you can see how much care went into showing this world honestly, without romanticising it.

That said, I think it could've used a bit more in terms of pacing. The slow tempo sometimes drags on, and there were a couple of moments where I felt it lost momentum. It doesn't have that immediate, gripping hook you might expect, but by the end, it does land on something profound.

Overall, it's a solid piece of Australian cinema. Worth the watch if you're into films about the human spirit and the challenges of rural life.

Just A Farmer is the film I wished I had seen in my formative years. Not only does this film serve as a necessary and timely insight into the burdens borne on those who work the land that ultimately feed the world, but also gives some invaluable life lessons along the way.

I read one review that called this film a little "preachy" for a little "teaching moment." I would offer that perhaps that reviewer failed to realize that this is a film for people who are suffering, and for generations to come who may suffer, for a lack of knowledge of such moments. I would agree with Professor Brene Brown, who has spent decades studying empathy, shame, vulnerability, and courage, in her claim that vulnerability is the foundation of courage. If this film "teaches" such a concept, makes it available and understandable through a story well-told, then I'm all for such "teaching" moments.

This film is directed with great restraint, allowing for some genuine performances to shine. A beautiful and necessary film.