Places in the Heart

Drama | English | 111 minutes

Info

In 1935, the midst of the Great Depression, Edna, her husband, Royce, the town sheriff, and their two young children, live a hardscrabble life on a small farm in Waxahachie, Texas. One day, a ne’er do well drifter kills Royce. With no money coming in from her husband’s job, a farm needing work, and two children to raise, Edna is desperate. Edna’s sister, Margaret, tries to help and comfort Edna. One day, a black vagrant named Moze comes by asking for work. Edna has no work for him but offers him food. When Moze leaves the house after eating, he swipes Edna’s silverware. The police catch Moze and drag him to Edna’s house. The silveware is returned. However, Edna sees something special in Moze. Not only does Edna not press charges but hires Moze to cultivate the land and grow cotton, a money crop. To help out, Edna takes on a blind boarder, Mr. Will. When the local Ku Klux Klan attack Moze, the community comes to Moze’s defense. Considering that life was hard and brutal during the Depression years, Edna and Moze are touched by the decency of their neighbors.

Cast

Sally Field (Edna Spalding) / Lindsay Crouse (Margaret Lomax) / Danny Glover (Moses “Moze” Hadner) / John Malkovich (Mr. Will)

Why Stream This Film?

It’s about desperate lives vividly depicted in a small Texas town during the Great Depression. Sally Field, in winning her second Oscar, uttered her famous line in her acceptance speech, “I can’t deny the fact that you like me – you really like me!”

Rotten Tomatoes Score (Critics Consensus): 89%
Metacritic Score: 70

Accolades

Academy Awards: Winner, Best Actress (Sally Field); Best Screenplay (Robert Benton); Nominated, Best Film; Best Director (Robert Benton); Best Supporting Actor (John Malkovich); Best Supporting Actress (Lindsay Crouse)
National Society of Film Critics: Winner, Best Supporting Actor (John Malkovich)
New York Film Critics Circle Awards: Winner, Best Screenplay (Robert Benton)

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