“It’s a fucked up mess, but I’m pretty used to it.” Peter Dunning is talking about the mangled hand that he nearly lost in a sawmill accident during his twenties, but he might as well be talking about his life.
A grizzled 68-year-old alcoholic who lives on a patchy piece of land in the earthy interior of Vermont with a flock of sheep, some bales of hay, and several decades worth of festering regrets, Dunning is constantly weighing the value of this mortal coil against the oblivion that waits for him on the other side. He’s a man pulled between primordial rage and cosmic acceptance, the sort of modern-day Hemingway character you might find at your local farmer’s market. Sometimes he’s at peace — at others, he asks a farmhand to hide his rifle so he doesn’t kill himself. In other words, Dunning is in dire need of some perspective.
A grizzled 68-year-old alcoholic who lives on a patchy piece of land in the earthy interior of Vermont with a flock of sheep, some bales of hay, and several decades worth of festering regrets, Dunning is constantly weighing the value of this mortal coil against the oblivion that waits for him on the other side. He’s a man pulled between primordial rage and cosmic acceptance, the sort of modern-day Hemingway character you might find at your local farmer’s market. Sometimes he’s at peace — at others, he asks a farmhand to hide his rifle so he doesn’t kill himself. In other words, Dunning is in dire need of some perspective.
- 11/4/2016
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Whatever your conception of a farmer may be, Peter Dunning, the 68-year-old subject of Peter And The Farm, may deviate from it significantly. Dunning certainly looks the part, sporting a bushy gray beard and wearing comfortable sweater-and-jeans combos as he trudges around his 187 acres in Vermont, tending to his sheep and cattle. As soon as he starts talking to the camera, however, it becomes clear why director Tony Stone (Severed Ways: The Norse Discovery Of America) decided to fashion a documentary character study around this unusual man. Indeed, the longer the movie goes on, the more disturbing it becomes, to the point where viewers may start to fear that they’re witnessing the buildup to something truly awful. Thankfully, Dunning doesn’t follow through on his darkest impulses, but there’s enough rural angst on view here to justify Stone’s use of aggressive post-rock needle drops on the ...
- 11/2/2016
- by Mike D'Angelo
- avclub.com
Tony Stone’s “Peter and the Farm” garnered acclaim out of its premiere at the True/False Film Festival and now it’s finally receiving a theatrical and VOD release. The film is a portrait of Peter Dunning, rugged individualist and proud proprietor of Mile Hill Farm in Vermont, whose only company are the animals he tends. During the film, he confronts his legacy, including his alcoholism, his failed marriages and self-destructive tendencies. Watch an exclusive clip from the film below.
Read More: True/False Film Festival Review: Entertaining, Heartbreaking Documentary ‘Peter And The Farm’
“I have known Peter since I met him at the Brattleboro, Vermont farmer’s market when I was nine years old but had never gone to his farm,” said Stone in a director’s statement. “The rest of the crew had met Peter at the market on visits with me. Everyone was always drawn by...
Read More: True/False Film Festival Review: Entertaining, Heartbreaking Documentary ‘Peter And The Farm’
“I have known Peter since I met him at the Brattleboro, Vermont farmer’s market when I was nine years old but had never gone to his farm,” said Stone in a director’s statement. “The rest of the crew had met Peter at the market on visits with me. Everyone was always drawn by...
- 10/24/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
Man, where I live (near Denver, Colorado) we really don't have much in the way of fests except for the Denver Film Festival and the one in Boulder which both heavily favor high-brow fest circuit stuff which really isn't interesting to us around here which is why I'm jealous of our own Dr. Nathan who will get to see the opening night film White Lightnin' (stills here), the story of the dancing outlaw Jesco White. Also playing will be Tokyo!, Qe favorite Visioneers (review), and the indy Norse discovery of America flick (which Magnolia picked up and I have a screener of, woop!) Severed Ways.
But Ott not only does film, they do music to.. so check it all out at the website below.
Fest website with tickets and more
Feature film descriptions and short film list after the break.
Opening Film
White Lightnin' (UK) - Canadian Premiere
7:00 @ The...
But Ott not only does film, they do music to.. so check it all out at the website below.
Fest website with tickets and more
Feature film descriptions and short film list after the break.
Opening Film
White Lightnin' (UK) - Canadian Premiere
7:00 @ The...
- 4/29/2009
- QuietEarth.us
A graduate of Bard College, filmmaker Tony Stone’s first feature, Severed Ways: The Norse Discovery of America, unleashes an almost-new genre – the indie historical drama. It might also be the ultimate heavy metal video. Based on historical research, Severed Ways follows two Vikings stranded in medieval America, encountering both Native Americans and monks, everyone trying to survive. It is deeper than an action film as the Vikings are complete characters, violent but missing their girlfriends. In a way, Old Joy with Vikings. Shot on mini-dv, the result is stunning, a period piece that looks like a painting but feels like an inside view with characters even speaking in Norse language. Filmmaker: Did you start the film while at...
- 3/12/2009
- by Jason Guerrasio
- Filmmaker Magazine_Web Exclusives
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