MIDWEST FARMERS’ DAUGHTERS
Like the films, “Steel Magnolias,” “Terms of Endearment,” “Fried Green Tomatoes,” and “Beaches”—“Midwest Farmers’ Daughters” is a revisit to the type of films that made us laugh, made us cry, made us think, but most importantly, made us feel. Read More.
DIRECTOR’S VISION
I grew up on a small farm in rural Wisconsin, the youngest of 12 children,
surrounded by the people and the places that populate the story of "Midwest
Farmers' Daughters." And while the men there get the lion's share of the attention
for their strong work ethic and down to earth simplicity, I feel it is the women who
stand beside them who are the ones doing most of the heavy lifting--both literally
and figuratively. This script is about shining a light on them. It is about their dreams,
their hopes, their struggles and their fears. But most importantly, it's about their
friendships--friendships that get them through each day, from sunrise to sunset.
I am a ardent admirer of Clint Eastwood and Alexander Payne’s directing styles
because they never get in the way of the story they are telling. "Midwest Farmers’
Daughters" would be best served by following this no-frills technique. I see this film
as very intimate; wherein the audience would almost feel like they are a fly on the
wall observing the goings on in the lives of these three life-long friends who use
humor and heart to tackle whatever obstacles that come their way.
Just as “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” introduced us to the hilarity and humanity
of the Greek culture or as “Fargo” allowed us a peek into the peculiar but
homespun specificity of brutal crime meets “Minnesota Nice,” my ultimate goal
with "Midwest Farmers’ Daughters" is to submerge the audience into the world of
these women and their lives and in doing so, put a magnifying glass to an area of
the country that is so often, sadly, neglected by filmmakers. After “Midwest
Farmers’ Daughters” is through spinning its tale, no one will ever overlook this
authentic and charming area of America again.
"Midwest Farmers’ Daughters” invites us into the lives of three best friends growing up in
rural Wisconsin: Crystal, Penny and Val--who love and value each other--even though they
don't always see eye to eye.
We open in the spring of 1977. All three girls have hopes for a grand future, but their most
pressing present concerns are boys, getting great tans, and the up-coming prom. At the
prom each of the girls take to the dance floor and as they move around the room with their
respective boyfriends, we jump thirty-three years as they transform into their present day
incarnations.
They are now grown women on the cusp of turning fifty--and that is where we find them--
at the surprise birthday party of Crystal--the first of the three to turn the big five-o. Gone are
their carefree teen-aged years, now replaced with families and husbands and work and
lives filled with major responsibilities. Crystal and Penny have weathered the effects of life
eclipsing their once youthful visage for figures of regular women who have had children and
the stresses of raising them while being married to supporting husbands who farm for a living.
Val, on the other hand, looks close to how she did back in '77, while married to a non-farmer
husband who is fifteen years her junior. Through the years the three have remained best
friends who get through each day with plenty of heart, humor, hope and the support of each
other's company.
Things take a turn when Val wins a cruise to Alaska and invites Crystal and Penny to join
her on the vacation. This is just what the doctor ordered--an opportunity to get a break from
their routine and and allow them to temporarily get away from husbands, kids, work and relive
the glory days of their youth. But as they plan their trip, things begin to fall apart in each of
their lives causing them to constantly postpone their adventure until each issue is resolved.
And just when they think they've dealt with every bittersweet obstacle that can be thrown at
them, tragedy strikes, forcing them to reevaluate the priorities in their lives. Now they must
stand together to try to help a friend in need, and in the process learn to enjoy the simple
things in life, not to take anything for granted, and realize that the grass is not always greener
on the other side of the pasture.
MIDWEST FARMERS’ DAUGHTERS - THE STORY
VAL
“It’s no fun gettin’ old. Ya know, they say, 'thirty is the new twenty,' and 'forty is the new thirty' but they stop at fifty. Cuz fifty just sucks.” Mo Collins Rebecca De Mornay Jodie Foster Holly Hunter Catherine Keener Kyra Sedgwick
PENNY
“You’re both such strong women. Can’t you use that strength for a cause greater than ‘one-upping’ each other? Work together. Makes life so much easier.” Renee Albert Bonnie Hunt Jane Kaczmarek Amy Ryan Mare Winningham
CRYSTAL
“What do you take me for? I know when to give shit and when to give a shoulder. Geez.” Cheryl Hawker Melissa Leo Melissa McCarthy Catherine O'Hara Debra Winger
CHAR
““ If ya have time to chit-chat, ya have time to be fit, not fat.' I came up with that. Like it?”” Kate Hudson Jennifer Lawrence Blake Lively Leighton Meester Ashley Tisdale Evan Rachel Wood
ROSE
“Three days is like three years for someone with cancer.” Abigail Breslin Chloe Grace Moretz Hailee Steinfeld Alyson Stoner Shailene Woodley
NORMAN
“Farmin’ ain’t like other jobs. Takes everyone to keep it running. One person leaves, the whole outfit falls apart.” Sam Elliott Ed Harris Robert Forster Bill Murray James Woods
FEMALE FLICKS
With Female Friendships/Interests/Themes: Beaches Terms of Endearment Steel Magnolias Waitress Fried Green Tomatoes Thelma and Louise The Help Bridesmaids Crimes of the Heart Something’s Gotta Give Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood Bridges of Madison County The Notebook
HERE’S WHAT THE BLACK LIST HAD TO SAY ABOUT, MIDWEST FARMERS’ DAUGHTERS:
“Strong dialogue and three equally potent, distinct characters bolster
a story that could be wrongly classified as melodrama. The thirty-three
year friendship of CRYSTAL, PENNY and VAL is well-drawn, each of the
women respectfully exposed in all their Midwest charm. The supporting
characters that sustain their present day individual stories - NORMAN
(Crystal), ROSE (Penny) and CHAR (Val) weave well with the adolescent
back story each heroine is given at the screenplay's start. Never does
the ensemble nature of the material "eat its own," the triplicate story
worlds actually complimenting the other as they play out side by side.
Even Penny's cancer diagnosis (often the realm of MOW faire) clips along
nicely, the three-quarter surprise the requisite slap to all, signaling the
need to tie up loose ends -- as life is so fragile. Equally effective, is the
emergence of Rose, Penny's troublesome daughter growing up in a flash
and becoming her mother's Crystal/Val surrogate when the cancer takes
its toll. The Midwest is served up well by these women - and was a
surprising, page-turning read because of the America these women -
and their friendship with one another - exude.”
MIDWEST FARMERS’ DAUGHTERS
Friendship Never Grows Old
Presentation Produced by ML Gemmill - A real life farmer’s daughter.
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Two men, one German and one US soldier, are caught behind enemy lines they must help one another to survive.
Continuum - Sometimes man is his own worst enemy.
A man must race against time and strangers trying to kill him to try and clear his name.
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The Elevent Plague
The zombies have come, and the world as we know it ended. In the wake of the apocalypse, pockets of the living fight a losing battle against the unending hordes of the hungry undead. In this nightmarish world, a young woman named CASEY, armed with nothing more than a baseball bat and her courage, tries to keep ALEX (9) alive.Read More.
Alex doesn’t speak; either he can’t or won’t, and it’s hard to tell how much he understands.
They run into DANNY (20) and his cohorts, on patrol from a nearby settlement based out of what used to be a luxury hotel. He offers them shelter.
Despite Casey’s misgivings, night is falling, and they don’t have any other option.
Danny soon proves himself, earning Casey’s trust. There is a spark between them; a connection that feels like it might turn into something.
They reach the hotel where they meet the settlement’s leader, LOT (50s), a kind-seeming woman who’s matronly and tough in equal measure. She takes an immediate interest in Alex, and wants them to stay.
While helping Danny rescue another clan member, Casey gets injured. Lot leaps to the assumption that she was bitten and poses a danger… and has Casey shot dead.
Though he only knew her a short time, Danny is ruined by Casey’s death. His emotions are further complicated by the fact that Lot raised him as a son. But he’s beginning to suspect Lot had Danny’s father killed so she could “adopt” him, in the same way she made sure Casey died so Lot could “adopt” Alex.
Danny can’t stand by and watch Lot do the same thing to Alex. Going against everything he knows and loves, he smuggles the boy out of the hotel, preferring the zombies to Lot. But he has no idea how far she will go to get Alex back, and punish Danny for his transgression…
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Monster Men
Two small-time monster hunters nab the job of a lifetime, but when they realize they've been duped into unleashing a creature of Biblically destructive proportions they must choose between doing what's right and what pays.
What the Hell Happened
San Diego High School Senior and resident geek WINSTON CONNELLY JR. has his typically boring life turned upside down when the normally reserved, President of the Chess Club awakens in an alley just outside of TIJUANA, MEXICO dressed in a seventies style, powder blue tuxedo with absolutely no idea how he got there. Slowly but surely (with the help of a few random events) Winston regains his memories from THE NIGHT BEFORE, memories he wishes he could forget.
