Country (1984)

A farmer (Sam Shepard) and his wife (Jessica Lange in an Oscar nominated performance) have worked her family farm for years. However, low crop prices, a tornado disaster and interest on FHA loans have caused them to struggle. When the FHA suddenly calls in their loans, they face the very real prospect of losing the farm which has been in the family for over 100 years. Directed by Richard Pearce (NO MERCY). In 1984, there were two other movies beside COUNTRY that dealt with farmers, PLACES IN THE HEART and THE RIVER. This effort is by far my favorite because unlike the other two films, it deals purely with the farmers and has no other distractions or subplots to pull our attention away. The film is anchored by a terrific performance by Jessica Lange, who also co-produced the film. There's a forcefulness and naturalism to the film helped by the casting and David M. Walsh's (THE GOODBYE GIRL) gritty cinematography. The underscore by Charles Gross is superb. With Wilford Brimley and Matt Clark.