Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Beautiful, moving film.

Blistering performances.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Heartland was in production about the same time as Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate - Heartland cost a fraction to make but is 10 times the piece of film.Heaven's Gate was "the biggest and most expensive ($40 mil in 1980!) Hollywood flops of all time, its failure resulted in the sale of the United Artists studio to MGM" -imdb entry Heartland cost a few hundred thousand dollars and benefits from great writing, direction, photography and acting. It easily draws you into the beauty, joys, hardships and sorrow of pioneer life.It's sad that Hollywood sometimes would pour millions into turkeys (based on a director's single big hit) and neglect such a wonderful story.

Excellent. Gritty and true portrayal of pioneer ranch life on the Western plains with an emphasis on the woman's role and place. A moving film, lovingly made, and based on real people and their actual experiences. Low budget, independent film; never made any money. Definitely not the romanticized, unrealistic Hollywood version of pioneer life.

Portrays the day to day stark reality of survival on a ranch in the old west. Outstanding acting by both principal actors. This doesn't even feel like a movie...you feel like you're there. Animal activists should beware...many scenes are obviously not just realistic...they are real.

This is a beautiful film, reminiscent of Terence Malick's DAYS OF HEAVEN. Conchatta Ferrell (a sadly underrated actress) plays a widow with a young daughter who moves to Wyoming for a job as a rancher's housekeeper. The house is little more than a two-room shack, and the rancher must work his fingers to the bone in order to survive. There's no heavy drama here, despite the fact that the two get married and try to survive a devastating winter. All the action and dialogue is subtle and honest. Yet the characterizations are more powerful than any film with a dozen writers, mainly because Ferrell and Rip Torn (an amazing actor) are so naturally earthy and mature. You never get a sense that their dialogue was written for them (maybe it wasn't!). Every shot seems natural, and every detail is brought to life with genuine care. And there are images of landscapes, people and animals (particularly a starving horse, and an incredible finale on the farm, which I will not give away) that I will remember forever. Search this one out!!