In 1994, real-life crop artist Stan Herd traveled from Kansas to Manhattan's Upper West Side to create a massive environmental artwork on land owned by Donald Trump. The multi-acre artwork was made from soil, rock, plants and vegetation near an underground railway tunnel. Stan recruited a number of homeless individuals living in the tunnel to become his crew. Over the months it took to complete the earthwork, Stan dealt with a myriad of difficulties in bringing his unique, rural art form to an urban canvas and the many costs his art exacted upon his life. In the process, he unexpectedly encountered the true meaning of his art and it's ultimate, lasting rewards
Acting
John Hawkes makes stubborn idealism heartbreaking.
Production
Actual Herd earthwork recreated—no CGI dirt here.
Writing
Refuses easy Trump villainy; finds humanity instead.
Director
Chris Ordal
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The real Stan Herd appears in a cameo as a Kansas farmer. He was initially skeptical of John Hawkes playing him—then they bonded over tractors.
US
