Days of Heaven (1978)

Days of Heaven (1978) is a lyrical period drama set in 1916 about love, deception and the fragile beauty of rural America. Bill, a hot-tempered steelworker on the run from Chicago, flees with his girlfriend Abby and his impressionable younger sister Linda. To avoid scandal they pretend to be siblings and take jobs on a wealthy wheat farm in the Texas panhandle. The prosperous but ailing farmer soon falls for Abby; Bill persuades her to marry the man, expecting his death will secure them a future. What begins as a practical, almost desperate scheme slowly unravels as jealousy, secrets and fate intrude. Seen through the quiet, observant voice of young Linda, the film unfolds like a modern-day folk tale or “screen poem”: wide, sun-drenched landscapes, long, patient takes, and expressive natural imagery contrast with the simmering human drama. The story moves deliberately, emphasizing mood and visual detail over plot speed. Romance and yearning are central, but so are class, survival, and the uneasy ethics of using love as currency. As a viewer you’ll experience a strong sensory and emotional atmosphere: haunting, golden cinematography and the hush of the fields create a sense of both wonder and foreboding; performances are intimate and restrained; small gestures and silences carry weight. The film gradually tightens from pastoral calm to tense inevitability, leaving you with a melancholy meditation on desire, sacrifice and the cost of trying to bend fate.

Actors: Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard

Director: Terrence Malick

Runtime: 94 min

Genres: Drama, Romance

7.3 /10 94 /100 7.7 /10 8.1 /10