Documentarian John Chester and his wife Molly work to develop a sustainable farm on 200 acres outside of Los Angeles.
We live in a turbulent, violent, unpredictable world. We’re neglecting our planet, our environment, the very thing that harbors us. Our focus – or lack thereof, due to the deluge of social media-induced abbreviations – is on warfare and circle-jerk politics. We are a self-absorbed generation, irresponsible and short-sighted. This leads to bombastic blockbusters – as narcissistic and ADD-addled as we are – so thunderous and shallow, they serve as both dark reflections of and colorful distractions from the current reality. Hence, it’s refreshing to see a modest but deeply-affectionate, relevant documentary that takes its time focusing on the positive side of things for a change and, most importantly, demonstrates how putting ego aside and sincerely attempting to change the world for the better can lead to truly incredible results.
Wildlife cinematographer and documentarian John Chester’s “The Biggest Little Farm,” which spans over five years, follows him and his chef wife Molly as they gutsily leave everything behind, having decided to run their own sustainable farm. “I never dreamed we would even get to this point,” John Chester narrates in the beginning, over shots of recent Southern California wildfires. “To have so much to lose.” Backed by investors and inspired by an adorable adopted dog, as well as Molly’s affection for locally-farmed cuisine (“The health of our food is really determined by how it’s farmed,” she says passionately), the Chesters move out of their tiny Santa Monica apartment to Moorpark, “about an hour north of Los Angeles.”
There, they find themselves somewhat stranded on 200 acres of “neglected” land, with dead beehives, deader soil, as well as “finite source of water” from a sole well. A nearly impossible task, then. Undeterred, the Chesters swiftly discover a “world-renowned expert in traditional farming practices,” a.k.a. farming guru extraordinaire named Alan, a firm proponent of nature’s symbiosis, wherein one living thing either feeds off or sustains the other. He guides them through the process, and before the duo knows it, a natural eco-system starts to form, with people from all over the world coming to help. “Every animal you see in a children’s book” – from chickens to sheep, to a pig they call Emma (formerly “Ugly Betty”) – inhabit, and form the heart of, “The Biggest Little Farm.”
More cuteness and accomplishments follow: over a dozen adorable piglets, “75 different kinds of fruit,” returning bees, and “fifty dozen eggs [sold] in under an hour.” The Chesters end up not just farming but resurrecting the land. Of course, obstacles arise: Alan is harboring a sad secret, animals get sick and hunted, crops die, fences break, deadly snails cling to trees, a drought strikes… “Intent alone is not a protector,” John intones. Yet he and Molly manage to pinpoint Alan’s much-beloved symbiosis, harmony, and opportunity in these challenges; ducks consume the snails, fertilizing the trees in the process; more cows and sheep lead to more manure, harmful maggots “are just more food for chickens” – and so on.
Filled with home footage, animated interludes, stunning nature shots, and night-vision scenes wherein predators are caught on camera, “The Biggest Little Farm” is a pleasure to the eye. Yet it’s bound to wring the heartstrings too, not just with its adorable animals, but with John and Molly’s obvious love and respect for nature. They are calm, collected, witty and determined, despite the gargantuan task at hand. It’s fascinating to watch them start building a fragile house of cards that gradually morphs into a robust castle.
Towards the end, the cynical side of me kept asking if this were all a promotion for their now-world-famous farm. Perhaps John could’ve excluded the footage of tourists wowing at the trees and scenery, inducing a slightly icky sense that they’re capitalizing on our investment in an otherwise endearingly earnest, “heart on its sleeve” affair. Perhaps it’s just me though. “The Biggest Little Farm” is about faith and perseverance, love of and care for nature; it’s about two human beings that made the impossible possible, avoiding cheesy sentiment. It made me want to drop everything and go join the Chesters, help them in their ongoing quest (though I’d probably have to buy a ticket and join a bunch of visitors instead). Chester’s doc reminds of the fragility of our planet. Just like farming itself, “The Biggest Little Farm” is unpredictable, heartbreaking and beautifully inspiring.
In theaters Friday, May 10th
