Farmland

Name: Farmland
Genre: Documentary
Released: May 1, 2014
Duration: 77 min
Rating: 32

2014

METASCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 7 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 6 Ratings

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5.3

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5.3	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 6 Ratings

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Farmland

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Movie Details & Credits

D&E Entertainment | Release Date: May 1, 2014 | Not Rated

Summary: Most Americans have never stepped foot on a farm or ranch or even talked to the people who grow and raise the food we eat. "Farmland" takes an intimate look at the lives of farmers and ranchers in their twenties, all of whom are now responsible for running their farming business. Learn about their high- risk/high reward jobs and passion forMost Americans have never stepped foot on a farm or ranch or even talked to the people who grow and raise the food we eat. "Farmland" takes an intimate look at the lives of farmers and ranchers in their twenties, all of whom are now responsible for running their farming business. Learn about their high- risk/high reward jobs and passion for a way of life that has been passed down from generation to generation, yet continues to evolve.… Expand

Director: James Moll

Genre(s): Documentary

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 77 min

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Critic Reviews

Peter Rainer

May 2, 2014

Some of the human-interest stories are compelling, but too much of this film is as dry as a high school classroom presentation. Read full review

Jesse Hassenger

May 10, 2014

A little of this debunking is cute (“I got nothing against bib overalls or straw hanging out of your mouth,” one of the subjects clarifies about the myths he wants to dispel); the rest of it feels defensive. Read full review

Bill Edelstein

May 6, 2014

Though the perspective of farmers is well worth examining, this good-looking 77 minutes of propaganda is heavy on sugar-coating and light on nutritional value. Read full review

Martin Tsai

May 1, 2014

The slickly produced documentary Farmland often comes off like lobbyist propaganda, profusely extolling the virtues of the independent American farmer. Read full review

Jeannette Catsoulis

May 8, 2014

Smooth and folksy, it traffics in broad, unchallenged claims that serve a single purpose: to persuade us that the only thing wrong with today’s farming methods is our misinformed perception of them. Read full review

Aaron Hillis

May 5, 2014

There's no drama illustrating the thanklessness of their jobs, and potential wisdom about fiscal instability, animal welfare, or GMOs waft by without much argument. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Godfrey Cheshire

May 1, 2014

Farmland is essentially just masquerading as an actual documentary. In reality, it’s a glossy corporate infomercial for American agribusiness. Read full review

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User Reviews

NSam

Sep 17, 2014

Faced with a liberal movement to scare the public into thinking their food isn't safe, farmers in this documentary are able to show people exactly what happens on the farm. People often only hear senseless rubbish from liberals whom have never stepped foot on the farm, and this filmFaced with a liberal movement to scare the public into thinking their food isn't safe, farmers in this documentary are able to show people exactly what happens on the farm. People often only hear senseless rubbish from liberals whom have never stepped foot on the farm, and this film highlights facts about current farming practices and the challenges that farmers face.

A fantastic film well worth watching.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

sckuhner

May 20, 2014

This documentary attempts to convey a heartfelt tone to connect with family values of viewer. It does succeed in this endeavor. However as documentaries go, this misses the mark. It does nothing to explore the greater issues in the industry. Although Farmland is not necessarily obligated toThis documentary attempts to convey a heartfelt tone to connect with family values of viewer. It does succeed in this endeavor. However as documentaries go, this misses the mark. It does nothing to explore the greater issues in the industry. Although Farmland is not necessarily obligated to explore or give answers for those issues. Undoubtedly these issues have a daily impact on the farmers they have profiled. With this in mind this documentary does a disservice to those it has interviewed and those who have viewed it by not representing or acknowledging the full repertoire of issues in play.

There is, to some degree, an expectation of honesty and transparency within watching a documentary. This film may be honest to some degree about the lives of its farmers. But it omits important issues: GMOS, seed patents, morality of factory farming, etc. If it were to address these issues in some way, regardless of the stance, this documentary would be more respectable. However, in omitting these issues Farmland loses credibility and gives merit to the critique that it is simply a very long infomercial for the food industry.

Again the soul of a documentary is in its transparency and honesty of the information provided, but also in the motivation for its production. Farmland further muddles the progressing dialogue in regards to farming and agriculture. It does so not by posing important, poignant questions... But by doing jazz hands near the human interest part of this story and not revisiting the important issues in play in the United States.

Liberal, conservative, or moderate stance; The viewer deserves a full exploration of these issues. It parades itself as something it is not.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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