The Farmer's Wife

If you thought family farms had all but vanished, meet the Buschkoetters: a Nebraska couple with hundreds of acres, hundreds of hogs, and hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. Over three years of filming, documentarian David Sutherland chronicles Darrel and Juanita's seemingly unavoidable financial ruin, which is brought on by endless drought, early frost, and plummeting pork prices. Ever resourceful and optimistic, the loving couple cope with the fatigue, frustration, and humiliation of their impossible situation: all income derived from their farm must go directly toward repayment of their FMHA loans. So, to survive, Darrel works a factory job and farms at night while Juanita cleans houses and cares for their three daughters. Not surprisingly, the marriage cracks -- but not before these two astoundingly brave, resilient people have faced pressures that would send most city dwellers straight to the psych ward.

The intimate, often excruciating, detail of the Buschkoetters' daily lives is punctuated by thoughtful voiceovers in which Darrel and Juanita consider their marital problems against a backdrop of rural tableaux worthy of Andrew Wyeth. Despite its length and leisurely pace, this film is thrilling to watch as it examines not just a relationship in turmoil but the tragic erosion of a way of life that, long ago, made this country a great place.

-- Peg Aloi