This Land Is My Land
The fronts have seemingly hardened in the U.S.: on the one side, faithful Trump voters who believe in the legitimacy and brilliance of their president; on the other side, critics and opponents who believe that in the wake of Trump, the country will need decades to recover from his government. Susanne Brandstaetter listened to both, but especially those who support the president. She asks over and over again: How can the often implacable sides be reconciled?
Susanne Brandstaetter precedes her film with a quote from Blaise Pascal: „It is man's natural sickness to believe that he possesses the truth.“ Brandstaetter is not affected by this disease. Rather, in „This Land Is My Land“, she examines how different proponents of this supposed „truth“ clash with one another, react to one another and at best deal with one another. The man who is causing the division is Donald J. Trump. For some, he is the embodiment of America’s salvation, who, with a steadfast hand, is building walls, ending drug crises and securing jobs. For others, he is the worst thing that could have befallen the country. The film is primarily devoted to the so-called „deplorables“, a name for the Trump voters coined by the Democrats in the 2016 election campaign. Brandstaetter meets with them in their living rooms and kitchens, listens to them and asks them astute questions. The principle she follows is "Don’t argue. Listen”. It is not always easy. But then their enormous longing for community, for finding common goals and values becomes apparent. That the words “company” and “country” are sometimes mixed up – a given.
Gradually, Brandstaetter begins to look at the other side of the electorate. First, it is a family friend who suddenly shows up at the door, then takes a seat on the sofa and even admits she had some sympathy for Trump. But then she put her cross somewhere else on the ballot. She had too much distrust when it came to the undisclosed, tangled web of his finances. „It's too bad we can't work together on making America greater,“ someone murmurs off-screen. There are comedic scenes that culminate in tension. And tense scenes that wind up humorous. What Susanne Brandstaetter successfully achieves: staging a crescendo of these encounters. Though without resorting to hostility. „This Land Is My Land“ shows conversations among friends who have kept their affection for one another. Yet at the same time, the film does not hide the relationships among acquaintances and colleagues which failed due to irreconcilable political opinions.
„This Land Is My Land“ is a plea and a glimmer of hope: for an objective, yet nonetheless courageous debate. The one thing that Brandstaetter, who was born and grew up in Los Angeles, defnitely does not want in contrast to the President of the United States: walls.
Carolin Weidner, film critic
Catalogue text for the „incompleted“ Diagonale Film Festival 2020, which was cancelled due to Covid-19
The fronts have seemingly hardened in the U.S.: on the one side, faithful Trump voters who believe in the legitimacy and brilliance of their president; on the other side, critics and opponents who believe that in the wake of Trump, the country will need decades to recover from his government. Susanne Brandstaetter listened to both, but especially those who support the president. She asks over and over again: How can the often implacable sides be reconciled?
Susanne Brandstaetter precedes her film with a quote from Blaise Pascal: „It is man's natural sickness to believe that he possesses the truth.“ Brandstaetter is not affected by this disease. Rather, in „This Land Is My Land“, she examines how different proponents of this supposed „truth“ clash with one another, react to one another and at best deal with one another. The man who is causing the division is Donald J. Trump. For some, he is the embodiment of America’s salvation, who, with a steadfast hand, is building walls, ending drug crises and securing jobs. For others, he is the worst thing that could have befallen the country. The film is primarily devoted to the so-called „deplorables“, a name for the Trump voters coined by the Democrats in the 2016 election campaign. Brandstaetter meets with them in their living rooms and kitchens, listens to them and asks them astute questions. The principle she follows is "Don’t argue. Listen”. It is not always easy. But then their enormous longing for community, for finding common goals and values becomes apparent. That the words “company” and “country” are sometimes mixed up – a given.
Gradually, Brandstaetter begins to look at the other side of the electorate. First, it is a family friend who suddenly shows up at the door, then takes a seat on the sofa and even admits she had some sympathy for Trump. But then she put her cross somewhere else on the ballot. She had too much distrust when it came to the undisclosed, tangled web of his finances. „It's too bad we can't work together on making America greater,“ someone murmurs off-screen. There are comedic scenes that culminate in tension. And tense scenes that wind up humorous. What Susanne Brandstaetter successfully achieves: staging a crescendo of these encounters. Though without resorting to hostility. „This Land Is My Land“ shows conversations among friends who have kept their affection for one another. Yet at the same time, the film does not hide the relationships among acquaintances and colleagues which failed due to irreconcilable political opinions.
„This Land Is My Land“ is a plea and a glimmer of hope: for an objective, yet nonetheless courageous debate. The one thing that Brandstaetter, who was born and grew up in Los Angeles, defnitely does not want in contrast to the President of the United States: walls.
Carolin Weidner, film critic
Catalogue text for the „incompleted“ Diagonale Film Festival 2020, which was cancelled due to Covid-19