Part 2 of The Emigrants/ The New Land duology (I'm not sure what to collectively call them?) is just as well-made and as emotionally harrowing as the first, but in a different way. The Emigrants naturally dealt with the main characters making a difficult journey from Sweden to the U. S. in the 19th century, with The New Land seeing them settled down and trying to make the most of life in... well, a new land. Naturally, things aren't as great as they hoped it all would be, and the various challenges the characters are put through end up making this a challenging watch for the audience.
It's not challenging because it's boring or slow, though - more so that it's heavy-going and quite brutal in places. It's also over three hours long, which I know probably already makes it a no-go film for a good many people. It's actually very easy to appreciate all the stuff this does well, because the acting's great, it's visually excellent, and there are some really inspired editing choices in this as well (so it's not surprising to see in the credits that the director and editor are one and the same: Jan Troell).
These two films end up being about six and a half hours long, and together tell a difficult but engaging story about Swedish/American history, and the plight of an emigrant family plus all the challenges that come with both travel and settling. Not the easiest two-part film in the world to recommend, but it makes for a compelling epic that should deliver for those who find the idea of watching such a film intriguing.
