The Biggest Little Farm

This film is the worst, most persistent display of documentary cliches that I have ever seen.

This movie is Gorgeous! Strikingly so! So much even that im now very much interested in learning the ropes to be able to capture life in a similar fashion to how John has done it. In addition to the fantastic filmatography the movie does capture the life on the farm with all its struggles and successes very well. One truly feels capitivated by it all, which is greatly enhanced by some overly emotional music that never seems to catch a break. One thing i was constantly left wondering about once the thought arose was how this whole endevour really got funded, as in what the loan the Chesters got and on what terms. Like some other reviewers have pointed out the economy of this farm does seem a bit of at the start, and i do think there are some important details left out in the movie that would reveal the true cost for permaculture farming. But without the details i can only remain dubious to the replicability of whats shown, especially given the plentitude of help the couple gets from all sorts of people. All in all it is a film that can easily make one dream of the possibilities of another life, and of the beauty of it all, especially when shared together with a wonderful partner and a trusty companion.

The fact that this couple took this idea to fruition in LOS ANGELES is in itself an amazing feat, but the quality of the cinematography brought to life things most people never consider or take for granted. I'm in awe of their commitment to create such an amazing eden out of a farm that had lost every element of what would make it come alive. Then to realize that they also told their story in such a real, creative and compelling way makes it all the more awe inspiring. I learned so much from this film.

At one point the primary subject of the film feels compelled to murder a coyote trapped in a corner that was surrounded by barbed wire fence and couldn't escape. In my life I've never seen one act of cowardace that was comparable. Somehow animal abuse doesn't apply to farmers who have a warm voice-over?

The Biggest Little Farm is a well made documentary that makes you dream about living differently, not depending too much on others, just letting nature doing her thing. The biodiversity is the most interesting aspect of this documentary. It shows how everything is connected and that for every problem there is a self regulated solution. John and Molly Chester show us everything, from the early start of their project to the amazing results they get. It's clear that in order to save our planet, if that is even still possible, biodiversity is the answer, so the exact opposite of what we are actually doing now. The cinematography is stunning, the wildlife scenes are amazing, much better than I thought it would be. Overal, if you're thinking about changing your eating habits, or if you're just interested in nature and gardening, then this documentary is a mandatory watch.

Act 1 - 4.2 Act 2 - 5.9 Act 3 - 6.3 Documentarian John Chester and his wife Molly, a chef, work to develop a sustainable farm on 200 acres outside of Los Angeles Movie opens with some corny voiceover about how what he is doing is unbelievable, already feels how self complimentary this movie is going to be Feel like they are doing something so important and they love to tell you how great they are, I hate them I can't understate how terrible and off-putting the voiceover is, so pompous Have to learn how to farm Like the baby pigs scene Importance of knowing where your food is coming from and how it's getting to the consumer Like seeing the farm come together and evolve over time and solve problems Some fun and interesting stuff here but the way it's made is so self righteous and pompous that it's very hard to watch Can tell this is made by the people in the video which is never good as they will be biased in their own favor Fundamentals aren't fully there and doesn't help elevate the drama that we could be feeling Film is about life Some really beautiful shots of the farm and some nice and impactful moments Film is shot well Some sad moments like with the Coyotes Film takes place over multiple years which is cool Farm became successful Like the journey of Todd the dog and how he motivated this whole thing Closes with LA fire but were safe About this families life on the farm Disappointing as this film could have been pretty good without the bad voiceover .

Do you smell that? It's not what the rock is cooking, its manure, but its from cows and sheep, not the movie. This movie is fresh, like a cool breeze through green pastures. The biggest little farm steers you toward a world that defies conventional farming for traditional, long forgotten farming. The kind of farming that makes a farmer go "you're as crazy a coyote in a chicken coop". Trust me, everyone is sheepish about this new (old) approach, but John and Molly bought a farm and have put all their eggs in one basket. This is wild ride follows piggy, Molly, Emma, and Todd and it will warm you from the inside.

I watched the pre-screening a few days ago and wow, this is just a really good documentary. I'm in filmmaking and the production value of this just oozes out! Awesomely shot. I cried a lot during this, multiple times, it's an engaging ride. The story is very compelling, especially for people who are already into connecting with nature and for sustainability. And it's very inspiring for those who are new to the subject. (Only criticism would be that there is a little bit too much explaining by voiceover narration, but it's okay, American films and docus tend to do that for viewers).

My daughter saw this film at the Philadelphia Film Festival and has been telling me for months that I MUST see "The Biggest Little Farm". Well, the documentary somehow got excellent distribution and I had a chance to see it in the theater just before its release to DVD (which is later this week). The film is about an unusual farm near Los Angeles. What makes it unusual (apart from being so close to LA) is that instead of a monoculture, the farm takes a more holistic approach to farming. So, instead of one huge crop of almonds or citrus (pretty typical of this area), the farm grows many, many different things and tries to do them using older techniques which are better for the environment. The story takes place over a period of about 8-9 years. While on the surface this story sounds VERY dull, it's amazing that it isn't. The filmmakers were able to tell a captivating story and did it very well for many reasons. Humanizing the story helped but what really helped was the lovely cinematography and music....and it helped to make the movie very relaxing and sweet. I highly recommend this film.