This movie has a pretty complicated plot. In this story, an Amish boy (Samuel) is a witness to a murder while in Philadelphia with his mother (Rachel). The police officer who investigates the murder (John Book, played by Harrison Ford) discivers that some of his superiors in the police department are involved in the murder, and they try to kill him to protect their secret. John escapes to the Amish town to hide from the corrupt police and also to protect the boy.
The Amish are a religious group who have been living in rural Pennsylvania for about 200 years. They call themselves "the Plain people" and they have a Puritan-like lifestyle. While they are very unusual in the U.S. today, their lifestyle and beliefs are similar to those of some of the earliest settlers in the U.S.
After watching the first two scenes of the movie, discuss the questions below with your partner.
Scene 1: The movie opens at the funeral of Rachel's husband (Samuel's father).
- What language are they speaking during the funeral service?
- What kind of clothes do they wear?
- What is their mode of transportation?
- How do they make a living?
- What word do they use to describe non-Amish people?
Scene 2: In the next scene, Rachel and Samuel ride the train to Penn Station in Phildelphia. They are going to visit a family member in Baltimore, and they have to transfer to another train at Penn Station.
- Which things seem to be new to Samuel?
- How do the people in the train station react when they see Samuel and Rachel?
- Why does Samuel walk up to the man in the black coat and hat anad smile at him? Why does he stop smiling?
At the end of this scene, Samuel goes into the bathroom alone. While he is in there, the murder takes place.