We as Americans often have a sort of quaint, idealized vision of farm life – rolling pastures, blossoming crops, animals happily grazing across the land. Farming, however, is not what it used to be, and while there is a lot to be said for the efficiency of our agricultural system – it has been ratcheted up to a precision machine finely tuned to produce the food needs of our ever-growing population – it comes at a price. Ours is a society whose economic system does not work to better the general wellbeing of its people, but which rewards the pure drive for money and profit. Some say that’s good, and an argument can be made for that. But so often it affects people in simply terribly ways – and is that defensible?
Kentucky filmmaker Kimberly Levin explores some of these ideas in her film Runoff, the story of a woman who runs a farm which is not doing so well, economically, and the loss of her land threatens. To make matters worse, her husband is sick. There is an opportunity, however, presented to her by an old friend, that may help her to keep her farm – but at what price?
Runoff premieres today, Friday, July 24, at Village 8 Theaters. It is highly recommended to attend this weekend: after today’s 12:50 showing, actor Neal Huff will be in attendance for a Q&A, and he will return for the 7:30 screening with director Levin for another session. Huff will also be attending tomorrow’s (the 25th) 12:30 and 7:30 showings.
Village 8 is located at 4014 Dutchmans Lane. Further theater information and showtimes can be found at the theater website.
Image: IMDB
