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How sad is this?

Good movie but grossly overrated

Fresh and Exciting

Don't Believe the Hype

"Die Siebtelbauern" is an Austrian German-language movie from 1998, so it will have its 20th anniversary the year after next year. The writer and director is Stefan Ruzowitzky and this film was selected to be Austria's official submission to the Oscars that year. And even if it did not get the nomination, it is still interesting from the perspective that Ruzowitzky won an Oscar for another submission ("Die Fälscher") several years later. But back to this one here. It features Austrian (because that's Ruzoqitzky's origin) and German actors playing the main characters and quite a few of these are still very well-known today to German film buffs. The story is about a terrible crime that happens, but actually what happens afterward is really the real tragedy, namely the huge challenge for the members of a small community in dealing with the aftermath, especially from an economic perspective. But there are also all kinds of other genres in here such as occasionally dark comedy (coming from the narration mostly) and romance as well. For the actors playing the main characters, it was a bit of a breakthrough work that allowed them to have a career to this date, almost two decades later. But I personally must say that even if the acting was fairly solid for the most part, I never really managed to develop an interest in the story and the characters for the most part. Maybe you need to be Austrian to appreciate it or just like Ruzowizky's style more than I do. I was underwhelmed almost during the entirety of the film and there were not that many moments I would consider good or even memorable at all. This is why I give "The Inheritors" a thumbs-down and I suggest you to watch something else instead.

This is a terrific film which I found really gripping because of its story of the unequal fight between a group of peasants and local landowners. So few films seem to portray inequality and the fight for justice that The Inheritors seemed to me like a breath of fresh air. I thought the story was simply but beautifully told, the scene at the communal meal where the characters assert their right to the ownership of the farm against the wishes of the brutal foreman is understated and powerful. The way they are shown standing up to his bullying against the backdrop of the place set as usual for the now dead owner is keenly observed and uplifting. The film looks superb, its rural setting is very authentic, and the performances of the actors catch well the growing confidence and political awareness of the peasants, always laced with elements of self-doubt. There is a tragic core to the film and a melancholy tone but it is never dull or depressing, the characters seem too busy with trying to make good their chance of a better life.

The old farmer, a real tyrant, dies. Since he has no (legal) offspring the other local farmers are already dividing his legacy among themselves. But surprisingly, the farm-workers inherit the farm. Since a labourer cannot be accepted as a farmer, incredible waves of intrigues and brutality close over the seven brave inheritors. A fight for justice and life arises.Once you have adopted yourself to the strange camera work this movie will not leave you untouched. The acting is great. Normally, if you have rebels in a film, they are perfect, always good, and superior. These heroes are labourers, uneducated, they have never seen anything more of the world than their valley, and they are absolutely indelicate, and only some of them are real fighters for justice.This is great cinema!

This film is extremely well paced and beautifully photographed, and the characters are easy to relate to. Seven peasants unexpectedly inherit the farm on which they work after the farmer dies. The neighboring farmers view this as a breach of the rigid class structure in rural 19th century Austria and try to destroy the "One-Seventh Farmers." The tenacity with which the new owners defend their farm (and one another) is very touching. I loved it!