The Land Girls

REVIEW
A good old-fashioned British wartime drama, The Land Girls may be unremarkable, but that is precisely what makes it special. Three young women, Stella (McCormack), Ag (Weisz) and Pru (Friel), do their bit for the war effort by working as farmhands. Their trials and tribulations include all of the genre staples of heroism and heartbreak as they bond together through hard work and romance. While the film occasionally borders on unnecessary melodrama -- a subplot involving Joe (Macintosh), the handsome young son who wants to join the air force, is perhaps the film's weakest element -- at least his relationship with the girls is well developed. Written and directed with a sure hand by Leland (he adapted Angela Huth's novel), The Land Girls could have been corny and sentimental, but its earnestness sees it through. The striking performances by the attractive leads, the gorgeous cinematography, and fine period detail also lend the film class.