(This post is from the blog of the Mother of Invention Acting School in San Francisco (www.utteracting.com): an acting class in San Francisco for serious, motivated students.)
An independent film built around a very simple story, beautifully acted and executed. One of the founders of Steppenwolf, Lois Smith, appears in the frame at the beginning and the end of the movie. The story concerns a mail-order bride from Norway immediately after WWI, played by the stunning Elizabeth Reaser. She is lucky enough to find the dashing and smoldering Olaf, played by Tim Guinnee, to be her husband, but bureacracy and xenophobia intervene to prevent them from marrying and, uh, consummating the love that grows between them. It is seldom that you see a film where the acting is as good as it is here all around.