The Inheritors (1998 film)

The Inheritors
(Die Siebtelbauern)
The Inheritors; (Die Siebtelbauern)
Directed by	Stefan Ruzowitzky
Written by	Stefan Ruzowitzky
Produced by	Danny Krausz; Kurt Stocker;
Starring	Simon Schwarz; Sophie Rois;
Cinematography	Peter von Haller
Edited by	Britta Nahler
Music by	Erik Satie
Production; company	Dor Film
Distributed by	Stratosphere Entertainment (US); Metrodome Distribution (UK);
Release date	19 June 1998 (Austria);
Running time	95 minutes
Countries	Austria; Germany;
Language	German

The Inheritors (original German title Die Siebtelbauern – "The Seventh-Part Farmers") is a 1998 Austrian-German film directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky. It stars Simon Schwarz and Sophie Rois and has won numerous awards.^[1] The film was selected as the Austrian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 71st Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.^[2]^[3]

Plot

In a remote valley in Austria in the early 20th century a curmudgeonly farmer dies. While he was a hard and even abusive taskmaster to his farmhands, he was also hostile to his neighbours. Without family, he left his farm, livestock and belongings to his farmhands, rather than to the church as expected. While three leave, demanding their share, the others stay to run it as a shared venture. Wealthy local farmers, feeling threatened by this subversive example, try to subvert the farm. The film contains graphic violence.