For five generations, the Ames family has worked their farm in Richfield, NY, but like many other farmers, their future is uncertain. The aging patriarch of the family, Langdon “Lanny” Ames, struggles to keep up with the hard work, all with the knowledge that none of his three sons want to take over. In candid interviews intercut with old family photos and scenes of family gatherings, three generations of Ames' reveal the complicated emotions, conflicts, and sometimes harsh realities that are part and parcel of running a family farm. Lanny's mother Florence, who has lived on the farm for 68 years, talks about meeting her husband Murray, while Bertha and Marilyn—Manny's sisters—recall how their father established the farm as a viable business that was later passed on to their brother, and Lanny's children recount the experience of growing up on the farm (the girls worked inside with mom, while the boys did chores out in the barn with dad from early in the morning until late at night). Hinting at why he left, Lanny's son Bradley says, “You've gotta have a strong passion and love to be a farmer. It's a hard, hard life.” James Spione, the director of American Farm, is related to the Ames family (he's Lanny's first cousin) and because his subjects feel so comfortable, the interviews here come across as exceptionally open and intimate. Spione has effectively composed a haunting elegy for a way of life in rural America that is very nearly gone. DVD extras include an interview with the director, additional new interviews, deleted scenes, and an update on the Ames family. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Wadland)
American Farm
(2007) 85 min. DVD: $24.95. Passion River (avail. from most distributors). PPR. Volume 23, Issue 4
American Farm
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