God's Country (1985) Dir. Louis Malle

God's Country

Director: Louis Malle

Story: Louis Malle

United States   |   1985

89 Minutes      |   Color

Starring: Louis Malle

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    Oh, the Midwest. I sometimes dream of your sublime simplicity, your local comforts, your deep reliance on and connection to the land. In the midst of a busy Manhattan snowstorm, the peaceful images of flatland suburbia were nostalgia to my eyes, as Mr. Malle swept me into a foreign land where life is simpler, faith is hardier, and hope has not faded from view. The setting: Glencoe, Minnesota, a flourishing farming community of 5000. The year is 1979, and everyone has a bad haircut - and a shag carpet. But these are good people. Amiable, courteous and crime-free, the mostly German inhabitants are satisfied with their lot, whether it be farming or banking. They marry young, have kids young, and carry on steadily - at least for now.

    Assuming the role of narrator and commentator, Louis Malle, that famous French director of documentaries and fictions, gently leads us on a journey of small-town identity, preferring to let Glencoe itself host us. A cultural and political odyssey, God's Country works because it doesn't have a destination. It doesn't offer a solution. It's merely a time capsule where people carry out the stuff of life. And even though Malle seems to push the question of what life might look like outside of Glencoe, we come to realize that the pursuit is fruitless, that emigration would be, in a primal sense, wrong.

    God's Country starts in a garden. A charming old lady tends her flora, happy to see the colors of God bloom. Other pictures are of a young boy on a large, successful farm. At 10, he drives the largest tractor John Deere manufactures. We also meet a young man and his wife, newlyweds with a hospitable spirit. And a woman who writes plays, and the people who perform them. And a family-run fast-food restaurant. And the words of the wise old-timers, who are filled with the American spirit, but perplexed by the Vietnam War, which has undermined their kin. We spend lots of time with a "free-spirited" young woman who, like many, was posed the question of marriage. It seems that if by 23 you're not married, it's bachelorhood (or bachelorette-hood) for the rest of your days. Next, a young man who protested the war, was thrown in jail, and yet his family stood by him. Then on to the retirement home, where a certain old man longs for the graveyard, his wife deceased, his son abroad. It seems that Glencoe doesn't age well, that the winds of change were heavy and unforgiving. We wonder if the town might ever be restored, and although it seems a fool's errand, the preservation of life here becomes a genuine concern.

    The film was produced for PBS and, at 89 minutes, is about 20 minutes too long. The positive of letting Glencoe be Glencoe results in the negative of letting Glencoe run out of gas, which results in an anti-climactic ending. But Malle tries. In fact, he was too busy to finish the film, so, 6 years later, he returns. The results are affecting: milk prices have dropped, small farmers have been pushed out, and that great spirit of the community seems to be on the wane. The subjects are heavier, older, and, while once charming, now bear a tired and disenchanted gaze. The political promises of Reagan never took root, the deficit five times higher than when the film began. And so the film itself tarries, and we await our return to metropolitan life. Maybe someday we'll look back, but for now, it's back to the bustle, back to the spirit of progress which seems weightier than the matters of plain folk. They'll always be there, and we'll aways like to visit, but for now, it's farewell. For now, we'll continue our seemingly all-important affairs, hoping that somehow, somewhere, the purity of communal life remains intact.

 In summary:

I. Director Malle does the unexpected by allowing the subjects to inform the narrative. 

II. The subjects are fascinating. High moments of wonder, comedy, and thoughtfulness.

III. The flow of the story lags a bit, especially near the end, but is still worth the venture. 

IV. The cinematography is okay. There were some out-of-focus shots that were annoying. 

V. The film will be remembered as a fascinating small-town case-study, an outsider's look inside.

    8 / 10 on the NORS [Night Owl Richter Scale]

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Pair With : 

Low Brow: Simpler Times beer from Wisconsin - get it at Trader Joe's

Medium Brow: Smuttynose Farmhouse Ale - get it at Bowery Whole Foods

High Brow: Nebraska Brewing Company Barrel Aged Melange A Trois- get it at Bowery Whole Foods [NOTE: I have not tried this beer, but wanted to give a high-brow suggestion]

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