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There must be something romantic in American farms, and it is probably forever lost, so American directors return to that ambiance whenever they want to make real, human, touching romantic dramas that won't be Hanks-Ryan romanced comedies, big tragedies like 'Autumn in New York' or dark urban exploring of human soul like 'Eyes Wide Shut'. In Europe we can't understand it, because most parts of Europe don't have so wide plains which leave small communities so far from the world that whatever happens people stay leaning on each other. Austrians place their lost-time romantic dramas on Habsburg castles and no one but aristocrats can feel them, Swedish directors find romance far north and these dramas are hard as the life there is, Italians like to return in their childhood villages where everyone is shouting or talking endlessly and no one listens, Czechs have their communist history as fetish that makes them cry deep inside even when things look so amusing. But American farm dramas are so full of emotions that can so easily be misunderstood by modern audience as soapy, maudlin, false sentimental. The emotions are never too open, people are almost as reserved as Swedish, but not because strict rules forbid them to show what they feel (as among monarchs). They just follow the rules inherited from their grandparents, and they are too isolated to change quickly. A tractor, or one Elvis record is most they can afford, either because of culture, lack of money or tradition.These movies can seem hopelessly romantic and (as some call it) chick-movies, but female directors don't touch the subject. It is the world where man, a father of the family, still rules, and wives can only support him and, sometimes, but hiding from him, support their children when fathers becomes too strict. And, what seems to be most odious for feminist directors, these women don't seem to be unhappy.Remember 'River', 'Amber Waves', 'Days Of Heaven", 'Places In Heart', maybe even 'Shadrach', or 'Tender Mercies'... Most of these movies don't have villains or even unkind characters except in small roles. Sometimes they exist only to make things a little harder, but the life is hard enough itself. You have floods or droughts, diseases or accidents, and you don't need a single murderer, dealer or even an attorney to make your life bitter and a story dynamic. In 'Man In The Moon' you can hardly remember a character that's not as good as you'd like your parents, sisters, friends, or even yourself to be. They may make mistakes, you may sometimes think they could've done better, but be honest: wouldn't you do the same (or even worse?).All these movies go rather slow like those wide American plain rivers, each small event, each birth, wedding, illness is a quake for whole community. If you don't know the plot of 'Man In The Moon' you won't be able to predict much. The first half of the movie is almost a light coming-to-age comedy, if not placed in such environment and inter-family relations, more similar to a French movie. The tragic event isn't announced even by music as it usually is. If you don't always have a spare bag full of tears it's (thank God and authors) not a film to make you cry all the time, but if you have any emotions in yourself, be prepared to have them touched.I wrote more than a few lines against modern US movies. This movie shows me that even in 90's something so human can be done. I'll pray for writers and directors like these to live and work as long as possible, because I don't see younger ones who would keep following their paths.
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