Set in 1910, the film is a stark depiction of early homestead life in the American West. It is based on a memoir by Elinore Pruitt Stewart, titled Letters of a Woman Homesteader (1914).
Everything in this movie affirms life. Perhaps that is why Heartland can also be so unblinking in its consideration of death. The American West was not settled by people who spent all their time baking peach cobbler and knitting samplers, and this movie contains several scenes that will shock some audiences because of their forthright realism. All of Heartland is stunningly photographed on and around a Montana ranch. It contains countless small details of farming life, put in not for “atmosphere” but because they work better than dialogue to flesh out the characters. Richard Pearce’s “Heartland” is a big, robust, joyous movie about people who make other movie heroes look tentative. – Roger Ebert
The film provides an honest and often jolting view of rural life in a distant era – and very sensitive viewers should be forewarned that the film includes a few graphic shots of farm animals being slaughtered. It is a harshly original and deeply moving celebration of the human spirit, and Ferrell is nothing short of phenomenal. -Examiner
Starring Rip Torn, Conchata Ferrell, Barry Primus, Megan Folsom, Lilia Skala.