hughman55

This is the second Africaans film that I've seen with a gay theme, so to speak, that has a very dark and unsatisfying plot and subplot. "Beauty" (Skoonheid) was the first. I gave it one star. And now this one, The Harvesters. Is it just these two, or are Africaans incapable of making a gay themed film without horrific violence, as in the case of Beauty, or violent emotions, as in the case of The Harvesters. Why?

Both of these terrible films are done VERY well with great performances by their leads and secondary cast, with strong directing, but really questionable writing. No one will ever "like" either of these movies. We may watch them but there is no reason to back for seconds and I regret the first helping in near totality.

The Harvesters has some great acting, very understated, making it all the stronger. It has good directing, but the director wrote the screenplay, and that's where it falls apart. Like Beauty, it's gayness is grotesque. I'm not sure who this pleases, as straight people aren't going to want to watch it, and if there are gay people who do, I hope I don't know them.

Great cinematography, acting, directing, beautiful landscapes, but overall so unpleasing. I may go for a "third time is a charm" with the next gay-themed Africaaner film, but it's not looking good.

Meet Cathy Terkanian: She is an imperfect hero. Your first impression might be that she is a little annoying. But your second impression won't be any better. She's immediateIy abrasive, brash, over the top. I almost didn't watch past the first few minutes. But something about her, something invisible, captivated me, and so I didn't turn it off. And by the end, I found myself admiring her. Even respecting her - for doing what no one else in the school system, the church, or law enforcement had been able to do for more than thirty-five years.

For the next two-plus hours she walks us through one of the most unbelievable and riveting mysteries imaginable. A runaway at 16 from a difficult home life, and then pregnant, she gives up her daughter for adoption to a childless couple and the promise of a better life for her baby. Twenty years go by and one day, out of nowhere, she receives a letter from a police department asking her for a DNA sample in the hopes that it might match with that of an unidentified Jane Doe found murdered in a cornfield. What then unfolds is Cathy's jaw-dropping journey to uncover the mystery of what happened to the daughter she gave up. This story won't go where you think it's going to go. Instead, it will go everywhere else. And lead back to where it began.

Cathy Terkanian is a determined person. Her story, and the story of her daughter, is unlike anything anyone has ever heard, or imagined. And had it not turned out the way it did, she would have faded into obscurity as a nutcase, a crackpot and a stalker.

This documentary is compelling and will put your heart in your throat and keep it there all the way to its semi-satisfying finale.