Beneath the Harvest Sky (2013) User Reviews (10)

fine but nothing special

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 21 April 2015]

It's VanBuren, Maine. Dominic Roy (Callan McAuliffe) and Casper (Emory Cohen) are best friends. Casper's girlfriend Tasha (Zoe Levin) tells him that she's pregnant. He comes from a dysfunctional family. He disrupts class, breaking and entering for his criminal dad Clayton (Aidan Gillen) and hates his mother (Carrie Preston). Clayton pulls him into the world of smuggling drug in from Canada. Dominic hopes to move to Boston with Casper. He lives with his mother (Carla Gallo). He works hard on the potato farm to earn the money to buy a car. Nice girl Emma (Sarah Sutherland) is also working there to pay for college.

It has a lot of the trappings of indie filmmaking of today without the something special to distinguish it from the rest. It has the dysfunctional lower class folks. The story is unoriginal. It has the hand-held shaky camera work. The two leads just aren't special enough. They are fine actors but there are not stars. They don't show or allowed to show the spark that would energize this movie. It moves a bit too slowly and needs to elevate the danger much sooner.

Not amazing but the good outweighs the bad

[Seth_Rogue_One · 6/10 · 8 January 2017]

I watched this a couple years back and I kid you not, I could not remember a single thing about it. Ended up rewatching it today and eventually some things came back to me.

It's about 2 teenage-friends in a smalltown in the middle of nowhere; Casper and Dominic. Dominic is a 'good kid' while Casper is the town 'bad boy' who's extracurricular activities involves being part of his father Drug business.

The pace is really slow but the acting is good enough to still keep your patience (especially Emory Cohen who's absolutely brilliant as Casper).

While the main focus is on them there is plenty of other characters that are put in focus from time to time, one of which is Casper's father (albeit he's not very fatherly) played by Aiden Gillen who most people will recognize as Petyr Bailish from Game Of Thrones).

And even though there is a criminal element to the plot I should point out that it's not a crime-movie in that regard, most of the film is about life in a small town and all that that entails.

The characters feel realistic, especially the teenagers whom I can imagine a lot of people can relate too and visually it looks nice as well.

But although the movie does have a lot of plus-points I have to consider the fact that I had managed to forget all about it and that it lacks that extra emotional punch, so I can only get myself to give it a 6, a strong 6 though.

Like watching paint dry

[russell13725 · 3/10 · 11 May 2014]

I just read a review where they said you are on the edge of your seat with anticipation. I was on the edge of my seat bout to walk out maybe, but certainly not with anticipation. This movie was slow slow slow, and the sound trac only added to the crawl. Don't get me wrong I did give it a few stars, but that was only because the acting was plausible. If you didn't read the summary before watching you may have a hard time figuring out where exactly they are. Canada, Maine, Oklahoma (for the Tulsa reference)... but in the end you know where you are... on the edge of your seat thankful this movie has ended. On one side note this film does make you appreciate what you may have at your own home... kids with direction and responsibility. One last thing about this movie that bothered me, kinda. Everybody in the movie seemed angry and bitter. Is this little town so depressing that it causes such bitterness and unloving parents? Who knows. Watch this movie at your own risk. I recommend painting a wall before sitting down to watch. My guess is that you'll turn to the wall and watch that dry instead.

Touching and honest movie

[meclavelli · 9/10 · 7 May 2014]

This movie is so touching and honest it gives me the chills to this day looking back on it. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who is looking for a heartfelt movie with a realistic approach to teenagers growing up in a rough town, whose main goal is to escape it for a better reality. The score is absolutely beautiful and provides a reprieve from the darkness of this film. McAuliffe's and Cohen's performances are very raw and excellently portray two best friends who are extremely loyal to one another despite their differences. I could feel their connection and it never ever felt less than 100% authentic. The other supporting actors were equally as good. Throughout this movie you will continuously be sitting at the edge of your seat in anticipation. "You are here, but not for long"

extremely boring

[fede_ludo · 4/10 · 3 January 2015]

I found this movie extremely boring, really long movie where it doesn't happen many things in it (almost 2 hours) If you are looking for a "coming of age" movie as I was, you gonna find this movie boring, and flat, there's no passion, there's no joy or fun The actors are good but it has a really bad script I gave the movie a 4 because I'm a nice guy but it deserves worse I think the problem for me is the relationship between the two main characters, they were friends and they planed to move together but there wasn't a clear explanation of why, or why are they friends?.. why people is gonna be interested in watching a movie where the main characters are in their 20's(17) but the script/history that surround them is for people in their 40's, 50's not for people in their 20's

Liked it better the second time I watched!

[pjvaillancourt · 10/10 · 25 July 2021]

For those from Van Buren, some were initially bothered by the amount of cussing in the movie, which is not typical in this town. My first review reflected that annoyance. This time, I simply watched it discarding what I knew of "reality" in Van Buren, Maine. The story is a plausible story that captures many of the conflicts in a border town. Attempting to cross drugs across a border is one... believing you live in Hell, and that all will be better elsewhere is another. Both Casper and Dominic are believable characters with credible attitudes and behaviours. For Casper, staying in town and following in the path his father leads is quite common, even in the real Van Buren. Dominic, like others here is infatuated with his friend, but cannot wait to leave the town That too is common in "real" Van Buren, where friends sometimes leave town together to pursue a poorly defined dream. The story, with its simple sub-plots does tell an entertaining story worth watching! Well done!

Flat Line Dud. Dull As Dust. Pure Stinkeroo.

[mcjensen-05924 · 1/10 · 16 March 2024]

People sure are generous with their reviews on this site. This is nothing but a small town full of losers and fools. Pretty cliche, with no attention to detail whatsoever. The Casper idiot, no doubt named after a far superior and credible actor from the movie Kids, is such an annoying juvenile pretentious ass that it was almost unbearable to watch. If it wasn't for the F word that idiot would've had no dialogue at all. The scenes and scenarios just ring false. There's no coherent flow to this. A dud soundtrack that alone renders this garbage unwatchable. Truly the most horrendous music you'll ever hear. Kids of that age would never listen to and enjoy that crap. This is not a slice of small town Americana. This is pretentious amateurish slop masquerading as art. Zoe Levin and Sarah Sutherland are the only bright spot in this mess of a movie. Both their characters had at least a semblance of depth and their presence was welcome and believable amongst all the incompetent acting and repetitive, mindless dialogue. It's strange in a way, as some of the cast could act while others were embarassingly awful. Nothing really positive to say about this except a few creative shots of the surrounding area. Very immature film to cater to only those who are satisfied with the most meager cinematic fare.

Indy film take on a coming of age movie.

[vandalz · 9/10 · 21 June 2023]

I gave it a nine to help offset the unnecessarily negative reviews. While it's not a perfect film, it's certainly far far better than a 3 or 4. I've watched it a couple of times since its release 10 years ago, and it gets better with a second or even third viewing.

It features a heart-wrenching, stand-out performance from a young Emory Cohen, as a high school graduate trying to leave a small Maine working class farm town and find a better life in Boston with his best friend Dominic (Callan McAuliffe, who plays Alden in TWD) . Aiden Gillen (Game of Thrones) plays his drug-smuggling father, who is a corrupting influence. This is set against a background of the fall potato harvest, and anyone who has lived in a small farm town knows the importance of harvest season.

Emory Cohen's performance as a troubled teen brings to mind the young James Dean in "Rebel without a Cause". Cohen's "Casper" is caught in a black hole of trouble, not entirely of his own making, but which might consume him, and everyone he cares for. Definitely worth a watch.

Loved it!

[pantxike · 10/10 · 12 October 2014]

Raw, honest, amazing actors, excellent soundtrack (and frankly the only full soundtrack i bought for £7.99). A coming-of-age movie that will surely affect ages 16-23.

This movie is not for everyone, you should have an edgy self to really appreciate it.

Emory Cohen (Casper), Sarah Sutherland (Emma), Callan McAuliffe and Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones) were amazing actors. A movie well worth watching and forming an opinion. Very, very, very good.

If you liked 'Rampage' (the only movie that comes in mind) you will love this movie. It has an aesthetic that is very enticing and an honesty that will blow you away.

I give it 10 out of 10 for the moments it offered me!

A unique and moving story

[josephinecarvill · 8/10 · 9 February 2021]

The ending could not have been more perfect. It really brought together the whole story; a circular structure that will leave you undoubtedly moved. I really enjoyed this film... Such a unique story that's explores an interesting and often overlooked way of life; the potato harvesting industry in Maine. It was unlike anything I had seen before, aided by fanatic performances from all of the cast! Everything felt very real. It was interesting to discover that the talented writers and directors - Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly - come from a documentary background! This was definitely incited into the film, with the extremely raw elements of realism. Beautifully written and shot too! I highly recommend this film. It's something out of the ordinary yet it has a deep sense of sorrow and empathy that we can indeed all relate to. Kudos to everyone involved! Great film.