An uncommonly narrow, dedicated and personable documentary, James Spione's "American Farm" will be making its Midwestern premiere at the Orpheum tonight, kicking off a seven-day run at the State Street landmark. The film, an anecdotal case study of the demise of American farming, is at first slow and perhaps a touch too scrapbook-esque to succeed by traditional cinematic standards, but these very qualities — when applied to the movie's subject — wed in a blissful union of touching relevance for Wisconsin audiences. Indeed, at the heart of Mr. Spione's effort is a story well known throughout the Dairy State — here, the film exits the realm of incidental, singular observation and enters a world of warm appreciation within its vast national audience.
Mr. Spione's work chronicles the dedicated routine of a common, upstate New York farm. Hard economic times never foiled the estate, a national trend away from family farms over the past century wreaked little havoc, and the acreage is still productive today. But after 150 years in the Ames family, the humble property appears prime for selling because a generation has finally come along that is thoroughly uninterested in pursuing the dedicated lifestyle.
"American Farm" is a very a touching, heart-warming family tale, tenderly transformed into cinema. While farming is at the heart of the production and rural America surely the movie's main character, it is the Ames family whom viewers come to know most intimately. Images of vast horizons, a young calf being born and pre-dawn chores somehow take a back seat to family interviews. Ordinary tales of lineage become extraordinary as the commonality of a farm weaves several generations' tales together. That the movie's subjects are so normal, simple and pleasant is perhaps the crowning achievement — this is indeed a film to which anyone can relate.
Still, Madison seems a peculiar market for Mr. Spione's work and should prove a decent barometer for its potential reception on a wider scale, should "American Farm" ever achieve such distribution. Despite being the capital of one of the country's foremost agricultural states, this city prides itself on being thoroughly urban. Whether Orpheum viewers will feel closer to the farmers of Stoughton, Verona and Mauston than to the inhabitants of Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis remains to be seen.
But it is also substantially true that Mr. Spione's effort, a sweet tale of a family metamorphosis, is sufficiently focused on humanity, close bonds and hard work to succeed independent of its eponymous subject. Indeed, the Ames family is so extraordinary in its purely eclectic nature, laborious roots and overflowing charisma that the film succeeds on one level as a basic family story.
Marking the film's Midwestern premiere tonight, Mr. Spione will be in attendance at the Orpheum, and audience participation of some sort is anticipated. The director, a man as charming and engaging as his subjects, should make for a delightful accompaniment to the movie's bow. But if locals can truly find their Midwestern roots, "American Farm" may well prove a success in Madison on its own merits.
Grade: A/B
