Bread (1930) is basically a very high-stakes farming vlog with better lighting

Is it worth your time?

If you like movies where people stare intensely at dirt and sky, then yes. It is actually pretty great for a quiet night.

History nerds and people who like black-and-white photography will love the textures here. If you need explosions or fast talking, you will probably fall asleep in five minutes. 😴

I wasn't sure what to expect with a movie just called Bread. It sounds like a documentary you'd be forced to watch in third grade. But it's more like a family drama where the stakes are literally just... will the seeds grow?

Luka Lyashenko plays the son, and he has this burning stare. He looks like he hasn't slept in three years because he’s too busy thinking about collectivism.

The movie starts with him coming home from the war. He doesn't look happy to be back, exactly. He just looks like he has a job to do.

The Dad is the best part

The father, played by Fedir Hamalii, is such a mood. He’s this old-world guy who thinks the earth has feelings and if you steal grain, the earth will know. He’s basically the original "get off my lawn" guy but with more religious guilt.

There is this one shot where he’s just sitting there, looking at the ground. You can see every wrinkle on his face. It’s so much more interesting than most of the CGI faces we see today.

He doesn't believe the grain will sprout because it was 'stolen' from the kulaks. He’s waiting for a sign from God or nature to prove his son wrong. It makes the whole act of farming feel like a heavy metal standoff.

• The way they film the grain pouring out of the bags is weirdly satisfying.
• The horses look very tired, which made me a little sad.
• There’s a lot of sweat. Like, a lot.

The lighting is what really got me. There are these moments where the sun hits the field and it looks like a different planet. It’s way more cinematic than it has any right to be for a 1930s propaganda piece. 🌾

I kept thinking about The Wild Party while watching this. Talk about a total opposite vibe. While people in Hollywood were filming flappers and jazz, these guys were out in the mud filming the struggle of the soil.

The middle of the movie drags a bit when they are just... plowing. It goes on for a long time. You really feel the length of a workday in 1930 Ukraine. My back started hurting just watching it.

I noticed a weird thing with the editing. Sometimes a character will look left, and the next cut shows them looking right. It’s a bit jarring. But maybe they did it on purpose to show how confused everyone was? Probably not, probably just an error.

"The old laws of the universe should be broken."

That quote from the plot summary sounds very intense, but in the movie, it just feels like a son telling his dad to shut up and help. It’s a very human conflict hidden under all the political stuff.

There is a scene with a safe or a lock box that felt like it belonged in a heist movie. The way they handle the grain like it’s gold bars tells you everything you need to know about how hungry these people were.

It’s definitely not as flashy as something like A Dangerous Adventure. It’s grounded. Maybe too grounded? 🚜

The ending is a bit predictable if you know how these movies usually go. The grain sprouts. The dad realizes the world isn't ending. Everyone is happy, I guess?

But the look on the old man's face at the end isn't exactly 'happy.' It’s more like he’s accepted that his time is over. It’s actually kind of heartbreaking if you ignore the 'yay socialism' part of it.

I wonder if the actors knew how much the world would change after this. Probably not.

Final random thoughts

The music (if you watch a version with a score) really carries the tension. Without it, some of the long staring matches might feel a bit silly. 🤨

Also, the hats. The hats in this movie are 10/10. Big, fuzzy, and look very itchy.

If you're looking for a deep dive into silent cinema that isn't just a guy slipping on a banana peel, give this a watch. It’s shorter than you think and stays with you.

It makes you appreciate that you can just go to the store and buy a loaf of bread without having to fight your dad about the spiritual dimension of sin.