God's Country (1985)

The most Minnesota thing about this French documentary is how accurately it captures Minnesotans refusing to complain while their entire lives collapse.

It is so refreshing to see my native Minnesota observed and represented by some third-party community - in this case, the French - and honestly, they did a great job of capturing Minnesota. The landscape, the people, the quiet desperation. I know people exactly like this, and it’s startling how accurately the film portrays that particular strain of stubborn rural stoicism.

This feels like a movie that is endlessly revealing some sort of truth about our society. What’s crazy is how they captured how devastating Reagan’s policies were to small-town Minnesota farmers in ‘85 - because we’re still seeing the repercussions of conservative politics play out even today. I’m writing this in 2025 during Trump’s presidency when rural farmers are being severely impacted by his tariff policies and trade wars. The parallels are fucking eerie.

I have a bunch of family members who have been farmers and have been totally priced out of the game over the decades. It’s devastating to watch generational farms disappear because of policy decisions made by people who have never set foot in rural America. Seeing the seeds of this crisis starting here in ‘85 - watching these families get crushed by forces completely outside their control - hits way too close to home.

The French filmmakers understood something essential: this isn’t just about economics or policy. It’s about identity, legacy, and what happens when the social contract is broken. These farmers did everything right according to the American myth - worked hard, took care of their land, raised families - and they still got destroyed.

I could literally watch a 10-hour documentary about this subject and be completely happy. This film barely scratches the surface of what was happening, but what it does show is essential viewing for understanding how we got here.

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