Sweet Land ***1/2

Inge grew up in Norway but speaks only German, arrives in Minnesota with a couple of bags and a Victrola but without her papers. She's meant to be a mail order bride, but with her papers, it proves to be difficult. Her intended, Olaf, is the strong silent type, and silent is an understatement. The community considers her to be German, which only makes matters worse. As a consequence, Inge and Olaf coexist in an awkward limbo, in which she sleeps in the house and Olaf sleeps in the barn. Yet, there is romance in their future.

The movie is a wonderful period piece that will cause everyone to consider, as least for a moment, the hardships their forefathers (and mothers) endured in making the U.S. their home.