Customer Reviews

The Farmer's Wife

5 star:		(13)
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If anyone ever wondered what the farming life is like, this documentary reveals how very difficult it can be to survive on a relatively small farm - in today's modern world of high tech farming. It is a gritty, backbreakingly hard life much of the time, waking up at dawn and falling into bed exhausted when all the chores are finally done and dinner has been eaten.
The couple shown in this documentary hold very little back as their marriage is pushed to the brink by the stress of making ends meet, raise a family and just get by. I first saw it back in 1996 and am delighted to be able to purchase it (finally) on DVD.
But be forewarned- this is not an easy film to watch, although it is an honest one. In unflinching detail, the grim reality of trying to "make it" as a farmer is portrayed. There isn't an ounce of romanticism here, no attempt to portray farm life as an idyllic retreat from city life, especially given the ending of this film.
What DOES come across is the commitment to the land that those on family farms struggle to maintain, doggedly determined to try and hang on to their legacy.
I wonder what happened to the couple in this film and hope the DVD provides some extra detail about that. Even if it does not, the film is worth watching because we should ALL be asking ourselves why small farms are being nearly impossible to find these days. This film answers some of those questions.

This documentary grips you immediately. Or rather, it is the love story that this filmmaker captured that grips you - a love story between two decent, hard-working people who confront impossible challenges together. It makes you think what hard work and sacrafice really are.

There is a little bit of foul language as they came to grips with certain problems, but I didn't hesitate to show it to our kids (8 and 13) because even the foul language seems like a restrained and dignified reaction to the situations they contend with.

The documentary was shot over the course of three years! This allowed the film maker to capture the true-life highs and lows (extraordinary moments and events) and it teaches subtle but deep lessons in the dignity of hard work and determination, and the value of family and love enduring it all.

It is natural to wonder what happened to these two people after the cameras stopped, and it's disappointing to some extent to hear (according to the PBS website) that their marriage did not last forever. But that after-story does not undermine the power of this realistic and unflinching examination of farming and love. That people and marriages can endure so much for any period of time is an extraordinary tale.

I highly recommend The Farmer's Wife.

This is the real 'Real World' documentary. The documentary shows true to life struggles of a young farm family trying to make it through rough times. The first time I watched this was on PBS when I was first married. I just purchased the dvd after something made me remember how much the story touched me. Watching it as a wife with plenty of life/marriage experiences I felt that I viewed the story from a different perspective. It's a great portrayal and I would love to know how the family is doing now, ten years later.

Since Amazon doesn't tell you, I will. This dvd's special features are: Interview with David & Nancy Sutherland, interview with the Buschkoetters, and Roger Welsch interview with Juanita Buschkoetter. I was so excited to read this on the back of the case when it arrived. I wanted to find out updates on the Buschkoetters (I've read on the internet that they've divorced). However, these interviews are from 1998 when The Farmer's Wife first aired! What a let down! I still am left wondering what happened to Juanita. Did she really get divorced? Did Darrel remain on the farm? This couple draws you in within minutes of watching this fantastic documentary. It's a shame that I stil have questions about their fate.

If this documentary did'nt scare you 11 years ago it should terrify you now. I remember watching it then and just finished a second veiwing tonight. If you dont think our goverment is out of control set back in you're chair watch this and see the events that Juanita predicted in 98 that now have come to be. What a great play of human life in REAL TIME!

A compassionate look at the struggles of a young farm family as they attempt to keep their Nebraska farm going in the face of seemingly unending obstacles. You will be amazed at the fortitiude and decency of this hardworking couple and their young daughters. Very candid and painfully hard to watch at times--a sympathetic and dramatic account of Middle America.

I watched this fabulous documentary on PBS and was so inspired about this family's trials and tribulations while raising three daughters and surviving "farm life." So sad to hear that the couple divorced and both of them have remarried. I was hoping and praying that this courageous couple would stay together, but it wasn't meant to be. Thanks to their courage, we "urbanites" can see how difficult it is to survive living on the land. Bravo to them!

I first watched this on PBS about 3 or 4 years ago with my husband. We were just fascinated with it. Unfortunately we missed the last episode or two and did not see the end. I have been searching for a copy to purchase and just this last month found a copy at a reasonable price. We are starting at the beginning again and are anxious to see the end. This story is compelling. Darrell is a man that does not know the word slow. Everything he does is at full speed. Even when exhausted he keeps going. Juanita is an intelligent, hard working mom who does as much as she can for her children, even with limited resources. Their frugalness makes me feel very spoiled. We have had our two children ( ages 14 and 12) watch this so they might better appreciate a farmers life and also appreciate what we have. This couple faced such hardship that I am amazed that they stayed married. I have not been able to find any recent information about them in the 10 years since this was filmed. I hope they were able to sustain their marriage and keep their children in a loving family. If anyone has any current information about them, I would appreciate hearing about it or reading a post here.
I would highly recommend this to anyone. It will make most of us appreciate the hard work that many farmers must do and still be at the mercy of the weather, mother nature, and the market. I am anxious to see what other work David Sutherland has done.

I first saw this film on PBS back in the late-1990's, before the current onslaught of reality TV had begun, and I recall it made me profoundly interested in the lives of this family and all that the five of them endured. Telling the story of a financially and maritally struggling Midwestern farm couple and their three young daughters, The Farmer's Wife begins as an exploration of the uphill battle America's farmers are facing in today's world, but it progressively, to the surprise of viewers and filmmakers alike, becomes much more. The Farmer's Wife is the story of good, hard-working people, of a marriage in crisis, of endurance, of hardships faced, and of the emotional highs and lows of some remarkable human beings living through changes to all they've previously known and held dear. It is an intimate portrait of Midwestern family farmers whose continued presence in the United States is endangered by our modern economy. It is a gripping insight into the private side of other peoples' existence that most of us never see. The Buschkoetter family were brave for having done this project a decade ago, and while I know in hindsight "what came next" the portion of their lives during the two years captured on film remains a touching testament to an admirable and extraordinary couple.

There is something about this film that draws you in. It somehow brings out the "snoopiness" in a person with its unique, personal approach.

For such a simple topic, operating a farm, a complex film results.

Excellent