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DES MOINES REGISTER
February 1, 1997
FULL PAGE EDITORIAL
Troublesome poignancy.
Pardon Iowans spoiled by Hollywood's desire to portray the state on the big screen. Depictions such as "The Bridges of Madison County" suggest we're fertile territory. But rare is the film the caliber of "Troublesome Creek."
The film, which is showing at Carmike 1 in Des Moines, is a documentary by Jeanne Jordan and her husband, Steven Ascher. They shot it in 1990 and 1991 as Russ and Mary Jane Jordan endured financial woes to keep the family farm of 125 years.
The movie is a jewel that embraces the audience with its purity, poignancy and power. Those who've seen it — whether they grew up on a farm or not - agree it is a compelling story about Iowa's farm life, a harsh and cold reality captured on the stoical faces of people who daily don overalls and hooded sweat shirts and set out to feed the world.
"Troublesome Creek" is honest story-telling at its finest, echoed by the visual pain of parting with personal possessions and surpassed in distaste only by the buzzards-at-the-meat-wagon mentality of those ready to buy everything from a set of dishes to a combine.
What would any film, including a documentary, be without the bad guy? "Troublesome Creek" has its version, at least according to audience reaction. The family's dealings with Timothy Wolf, a loan officer at NorwestBank in Des Moines, illustrate the story of the good cop/bad cop as the bank tries to determine who is a worthy credit risk.
But do we castigate the messenger, in this case the loan officer who is only doing his job? Do we blame the Jordans, who may have overextended themselves? Or do we blame the course of events that may have been harbingers of the Jordans' ultimate plight? Or do we just chalk it up to fate, the natural tick of time's tenacity?
The Jordans conducted their farm business the way they always had; mostly by their word and integrity. Timothy Wolf conducted his banking transactions the way he was taught --- by the rule books.
The impending clash was as inevitable as one between the bottle-nosed dolphin and the tiger shark. Such elements underscore one of the film's earlier messages. Life on the farm Is not the blessed-be-mother-Earth retreat many of us crave. It can get to be downright dirty and disgusting. And you still need to get along with the local lender.
Farm life in Iowa has undergone major changes in the last 20 years. As much as it is a story, about the rigors and pitfalls of farming, "Troublesome Creek" is also a
pertinent reminder of Americans' changing lifestyles, our capacity for hardship
and our willingness and ability to help one another. Only the cruelest among us couldn't be moved by the woman from Rolfe, Ia., who showed up at the family's auction to demonstrate support. As much as the film echoes human frailties and the darker side of human expression, it is also a reminder that there is something inherently good in people.
Maybe farming as Iowa once knew it is vanishing. Still, there's reason to believe that other Russ and Mary Jane Jordans can innovate and survive. If so, the “Troublesome Creek"-- its message and its messengers — is destined to endure.