After only two days of festival action, it may be unfair to make sweeping generalizations, but the strongest and most engaging “documentary with 805 roots award” may well go to The Biggest Little Farm, which drew capacity crowds. Never mind farm-to-table, this is a compelling and dramatic dirt-to-bounty tale of a small “traditional farm,” which transformed from an arid spread of Moorpark farmland to the thriving operation known as Apricot Lane Farms. It’s all about better farming with diversity and sustainability, many lessons learned “in the field,” and a metaphorical object lesson for a better humanity.
It may also be the film mostly likely to brush aside any skepticism audiences may have in terms of “docs about a farm,” partly thanks to the natural filmic and cinematographic powers of its subject and filmmaker, John Chester. A nature documentary photographer who moved with his wife, Molly, and their beloved (and now belated) dog Todd to the Moorpark property in 2011, Chester shared his film with the Friday evening audience at the Metro, which turned away many would-be viewers. (Head’s up, the film will get a two-week run at the Riviera Theatre in April).
As Chester summed it up before the film rolled, “This is the story of my wife and I. I was a doc filmmaker and I gave up that to start a farm eight years ago, and then ended up making a film about it.” What unfolds over the dramatic portrait of a farm’s evolution, a beautifully shot saga with dramatic arcs as they learn about the serial challenges of farming and the art of animal husbandry. The film is lined with John Chester’s intelligent and engaging narration and stunning nature photography that grows ever more beautiful as the farm expands into a (Moorpark, we thought we knew thee). The only note that rang false for this viewer were the musical notes: Jeff Beal’s quite lovely but misplaced orchestral, which added a Disney-fying gloss to a film crying out for more organic, earthy music. All in all, this is one of the biggest little docs in SBIFF this year.