Au nom de la terre

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

A movie dealing with the rural world, a subject which is rarely treated : in the past ,in "Farrebique" and its remake "Biquefarre (1945 and 1983) ,Georges Rouquier depicted his own family ; recently "petit paysan" attracted attention.

"Au nom de la terre" ,against all odds, out of the blue ,was a blockbuster when it was released ,even beating the umpteenth "Rambo" , which was released the same day in France .

Based on a true story ,director Edouard Bergeon's own family ,it's probably the fin de decade masterpiece of the French cinema;I was skeptical about Guillaume Canet cast as a farmer ,but I had to make amends: the actor was a horse -breeders' son and he knew all the tricks of the trade ;his performance in the film is one of his very best ;his metamorphosis is stunning :from the dashing go-getter fresh from Womying where the big herds impress him to the human wreck of the second part ,his facial expressions run the whole gamut from enthousiasm to despair.

The first part is close to documentary :it pits Pierre Jargeau 's modern methods against his dad Jacques (an admirable Rufus )'s old ways ("I started when I was 13 , and I had almost nothing ").Pierre thinks big ,he invests , his farm expand ; the director does not pass over in silence the mistakes :the intensive farming of chickens ,does it replace the fresh eggs you get from hens living in open air?That his wife finds him unconscious in the huge henhouse is revealing.Although there are moments of true happiness (Christmas and a birthday celebration) , it become obvious that his hard labor has taken the best of him (which the wise dad could have predicted); and the debts pile up , life becomes harder and harder till an unexpected disaster ruins all Pierre's hopes.

The second part of the movie is a descent into hell ,showing warts and all with a great sense of decency : the most harrowing moment is perhaps the impossibility for the dirty slovenly dad to attend a wedding: he's no longer part of the society ;and thanks for using a French song instead of the obligatory American ones .In this context ,Barbara's poignant " dis,quand reviendras-tu? " (+tell me,when will you come back?) heard on the beautiful landscapes (lovingly filmed),goes straight to the heart .

May the farmers cease to be victims !

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.

French countryside is often represented in the cinema and especially foreign films in an idyllic setting. The landscapes are beautiful but farmers lives are extremely difficult. This movie depicts the reality of a small family farm which is the norm in France. Sad but true.

I hated this film. I really don't understand why anybody would choose to watch such a dismal story. I saw it in a sneak- preview and would have left the cinema if I could have without disturbing others. Veerle Baetens was wonderful.