A hazy sunset envelops a dark farmhouse while a tractor barrels along. Sunflowers sway unanimously to the right in a brightly lit field. An unhinged door opens to a decaying kitchen. Outside, a rusty chain clanks against a pole. A husky narrator begins telling the origin story of his time on this barren land. Soon, swift, machinated sounds of automatic doors and wheelchair lifts fill the air, as the image of 90-year-old Melvin joins his narrated voice. From here, an astute tension emerges between the glowing images of North Dakotan farmland and Melvin’s poignant and often tearful recollections of wartime and strife. Quietly, thoughtfully, and in so few words, filmmaker Eugene Richards captures the disappointment of a generation of unhappy settlers while creating a powerful meditation on life.  KR