Studio: Gaiam Americas Release Date: 01/08/2008 Run time: 82 minutes

I did not know what to expect from this movie, but the movie description sounded very interesting. I was attracted to it because it seemed like a "triumph through adversity" true story. I really liked this movie a lot. It was very well documented and a compelling story of large family farm that went through crisis and wound up re-inventing itself through the persistant vision of farmer John. I really like how John follows his heart in farming and expressing his artistic endeavors. There is no BS with this man. His relationship with his mom was very touching too. I was so inspired by this movie as to start to be more active in organic farming in my own yard. I do not have a farm, but I do have a yard and access to good composting materials. I also am looking into finding community supported agriculture (CSA) farms locally. I was very interested in the biodynamic organic farming methods that John uses and is in Eliot Coleman's books. I really enjoyed the musical pieces in the film by Leslie Littlefield too. My son really loved the "Bug Song". Overall it is very worthwhile watch that will inspire you to: Follow your dreams and heart, be persistant, deliver valuable goods and services which people will flock to, farm your large or small plot organically, and support locally grown organic produce. If this was the intent, it was certainly worked on me.

This surprising, stunning, satisfying film sneaks up on you, then embraces you. Interested in organics? Part of the organic movement? It's a must-see for you.

It celebrates the soul of true-grit Americans, artists, dreamers -the men and women who just won't quit. It celebrates the human condition.

Lovely!

I married into a farming family and teach in a rural area in Southwestern New York. This film resonated for both me and my husband on so many levels! We loved the opening where John takes a bite out of a clump of dirt...this is something my husband does! He tells everyone how much he loves dirt! I hope to add it to your school library....so much here in this film about rural life,communities,families, what it means to be different,and the same...the filmmaker must have had tons of material to work with. As my husband said, "Thank goodness John's mother bought that movie camera." Good films about contemporary rural life, such as this one, are rare.

The BS factor seems to be relatively low. Very little pretense, from about as far as you can get from either coast. I'm not a farmer, but I lived close to this area & I can relate to the characters in this dying segment of the United States. John Peterson is an original, born & breed on a midwest farm. A farmer was all he ever wanted to be . It was his destiny & inheritance. Success, failure, success, failure, success. That is also an American story. But failure for the American farmer today is inevitable. The farm John grew up on was a success. It fact it was easier to be a farmer post World War II than the mid 1960's & even today. John felt the guilt as his family's farm slipped slowly out of his grasp. He attended Beloit College in Wisconsin, basically because it was the school closest to the farm. People were drawn to him because of his natural goodness, forthrightness & nonconfrmist attitudes. He drew the counter-culture crowd, they used to be called hippies, to his farm in sort of a loose commune-type atmosphere. The economy of the whole country was entering a recession & farmers started losing their land, including John. Because he was a controversial character, he was a easy target to blame for the bad econmomic times. This is one man's life but it also an important documentary on the disappearence in America of the family farm from degradation of the land through chemical pesticides, fertilizers, overuse & urbanization. John, in another trait that is so very American was able to reinvent himself & yet able to stay on the land. It is that oppotunity for second & even third chances that has drawn people fron all over the world for over two hundred years. I did not know about this movie until I saw a blurb on the cover of the dvd in a rental store that indicated the Al Gore has viewed it. Some excellent extras, including two music videos fron John's girlfriend, Lesley Littlefield, that I watched twice. Really, a worthwhile effort.

How often do we come across entertaining movies from a Midwestern America point-of-view, and more specifically a farmer's point-of-view? I can't say that I ever have before. This movie engages people on so many levels! Adults can relate to the wonderful family histories of people and property, the way one's occupation can break your heart, the need to pick yourself up and dust yourself off afterwards, and the powerful pain that made-up gossip can inflict. I especially appreciated the film maker's gifts for making the audience see and respect people who can seem invisible in our society. For example, an aging mom or the Mexican-American worker with a gazillion handy skills. My church paired this movie with Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" for a thought-provoking focus on the food we eat and how we obtain it.