Con’s Score: 4 Free Rang Eggs
Sometimes what can sound like a twee documentary about a couple making a sea change can be as illuminating as it is moving, and as visually engaging as any big budget effort. All it takes is a bit of heart.
John Chester and his bubbly wife Molly were a couple of city slickers who bought a dog, Todd, who barked a lot. After being evicted they realised if they wanted to keep Todd, they had to live on a farm. The problem was, California was in the middle of the longest drought in 1,200 years and the farm they found had ground as hard as rock. It was a giant dirt patch.
This inspirational documentary was shot by John over a decade, and showed how John and Molly turned this dustbowl into a natural and sustainable farm. This meant they used no pesticides and diversified their output, using nature’s ways to provide a balance that sustained it.
While this is a documentary, it has all the ingredients of a drama, with the farm as the central character. It did have the advantage of a deep well to provide the water, but it needed a lot of love and care. They enlisted a mentor, Alan, who helped rebuild it from the bottom up, focusing on ways to rejuvenate the soil, and building a pond, before introducing animals.
Their approach avoided taking shortcuts and focused on long-term planning. Short-term problems often needed nothing more than stepping back to find the solutions.
These two were so sincere in their approach, they take you right into the trials and tribulations of farming. We’re soon stressing over Emma the pig, the snail epidemic and wondering how to stop the chicken massacre. But nature has its ways and you’ll learn how even pests play their role in nature’s rich tapestry.
At around the seven-year mark, the cycle and structure seems to come together for them. It’s a great parable for many businesses and industries. Plan from the ground up. Build a sustainable model. Respect the environment. Mother Nature has all the solutions you need.
What is also amazing is a lot of the photography. The close-ups, the images, and the animals take you into the heart of the challenges of farming, and how we need to respect nature a great deal more. John Chester somehow found the time to film all this himself while running this farm. It’s an epic effort and one with a lot of heart and soul in every frame.
You might find yours is moved along the way. Mine was. This is a beautiful effort.
Con Nats, On The Screen
