Places in the Heart (1984)
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A widowed woman struggles to save her farm during the Great Depression with the help of an unlikely group of allies.
The story
In 1935, during the Great Depression, the quiet town of Waxahachie, Texas is shaken when a local sheriff is killed, and a Black teenager is subsequently murdered by a lynch mob. The sheriff's widow, Edna Spalding, is left to raise her two children on a struggling cotton farm. Facing financial ruin and pressure from a local banker to sell the land, Edna must find a way to keep the farm. Her situation becomes complicated when she takes in a blind lodger and hires a Black drifter named Moze to help her work the fields, leading to a desperate gamble to save their livelihood.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1935, during the Great Depression, the quiet town of Waxahachie, Texas is shaken when Sheriff Royce Spalding is accidentally shot and killed by a drunk Black teenager, Wylie. A lynch mob murders Wylie, and both men are buried on the same day. Royce's widow, Edna, struggles to maintain her cotton farm while raising two children. She eventually hires a Black drifter, Moze, and takes in a blind World War I veteran, Will, as a boarder. Amidst the turmoil of the Depression and a devastating tornado, Edna and Moze attempt to win a prize for the first farmer to bring in a bale of cotton, successfully saving the farm. However, Moze is later attacked by the Ku Klux Klan and must flee for his safety. The film concludes with a dreamlike scene where the living and dead gather in a church to share communion, culminating in a moment of spiritual reconciliation between the characters.
- First release year
- 1984
- Runtime (minutes)
- 111
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Robert Benton
- Writers
- Robert Benton · writer
- Cast and characters
- Sally Field · Edna Spalding; Lindsay Crouse · Margaret; Ed Harris · Will; Amy Madigan · Viola Kelsey; John Malkovich · Moze; Danny Glover · Moze; Terry O'Quinn · Wayne
- Genres
- drama
- Themes
- racial tension; resilience; faith; forgiveness
- Tone and mood
- somber; poignant
- Setting
- Waxahachie, Texas, 1935
- Premise and plot tags
- historical drama; Great Depression; farming; racial injustice
- Reception
- The film was both a critical and commercial success, receiving positive reviews for its character-driven narrative and strong performances.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 90% · scale: percentage · review count: 40; Metacritic · score: 70% · scale: percentage · review count: 12
- Awards and nominations
- Silver Bear for Best Director · Best Director · Won; Academy Award · Best Actress · Won; Academy Award · Best Original Screenplay · Won; People's Choice Award · Toronto International Film Festival · Won
- Production trivia
- The film was included in the AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers list in 2006.; The film was released on DVD in 2001.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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