The movie 1922 is
an adaptation of a Stephen King novella of the same name from his
collection Full Dark, No Stars, published in 2010. The story revolves
around one farmer’s decision to keep his farm and how it ultimately turns his
life upside down.
The movie is intriguing and did nothing to help my fear of rats.
The acting and portrayal of farm life lacked the charm I used to associate with
Enid Blyton’s books about life on the farm. I’m not saying Enid Blyton did a
better job of depicting farm life accurately, but I can tell you this movie
will shatter any fun, childhood fantasies you might have had from her stories.
The setting and
staging of the film feel bleak and isolated—almost enough to drive anyone crazy
living there. That said, the movie is well-paced, tells a compelling story, and
features solid acting that keeps you watching to see what becomes of the farmer’s
diabolical mind. I haven’t read the book, but I imagine it must be good if this
is the adaptation that came from it.
Wilfred owns eighty acres of land, and his wife inherited a hundred acres of farmland from her parents. The two plots are adjoining, and the James family lives in a farmhouse on the land.
Wilfred takes great pride in the land, working tirelessly to provide for his family with the dream that one day, he and his wife will pass it all down to their son.
At first,
everything seems fine with the family. They have their routines and manage well
enough. But it doesn’t take long to see that Wilfred and Arlette despise each
other. Both want to be as far apart as possible, but their son is the only
thing keeping them together.
Wilfred refuses to go along with Arlette’s plan to sell her hundred acres,
split the money 50/50, move to the city with their son, and then divorce.
Instead, Wilfred
devises a plan to turn their son against his mother and make him loyal to him—a
plan he succeeds in. His next thought is how to keep everything for himself and
ensure his son stays with him.
1922 isn’t
a must-see movie. Its storytelling is average at best, and that’s the fairest
way to rate this Netflix film: average but watchable.
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