The Biggest Little Farm Review
PG: For mild thematic elements
NEON , LD Entertainment
1 Hr and 32 Minutes
Director: John Chester
Release Date: May 10th 2019
The Biggest Little Farm follows two dreamers and a dog on an odyssey to bring harmony to both their lives and the land. When the barking of their beloved dog Todd leads to an eviction notice from their tiny LA apartment, John and Molly Chester make a choice that takes them out of the city and onto 200 acres in the foothills of Ventura County, naively endeavoring to build one of the most diverse farms of its kind in complete coexistence with nature. The land they've chosen, however, is utterly depleted of nutrients and suffering from a brutal drought. The film chronicles eight years of daunting work and outsized idealism as they attempt to create the utopia they seek, planting 10,000 orchard trees and over 200 different crops, and bringing in animals of every kind - including an unforgettable pig named Emma and her best friend, Greasy the rooster. When the farm's ecosystem finally begins to reawaken, so does the Chesters' hope.
If you’ve ever been an avid watcher of the Oprah Winfrey Network, then you might know of John and Molly Chester thanks to their appearances on the series Super Soul Sunday (which you can find on YouTube). Some of their shorts chronicle their adventures of raising animals on Apricot Farm in California. Now, after 8 years of documented filmmaking from the time they purchased their house in 2011 to today, from documentary filmmaker/farmer John Chester, we have their theatrical story which might be one of the most meaningful movies to come out this year.
For Chester being a skilled filmmaker, one of the major attributes that this film prospers from is its cinematography. Utilizing every form of digital media, from grainy clips taken from their mobile phones to the professional 4k cameras, the captured footage is beautiful and inventive as we see him and his wife go from their roots of living as city folk to creating their dream farm. Documentary filmmaking is a never-endingly impressive medium because of the amount of creativity that goes into the production of a project and the subject. So, for Chester having 8 years of footage to create a fully developed narrative captured in real time is impressive, and to bolster it with gorgeous shots throughout just floored me. The quality of footage of the animals is so crisp, clear, and mesmerizing that you will most likely look all starry-eyed at the theater like this:
There are even shots of Chester looking up at the starry skies above him, and by God it’s some of the most beautiful things I’ve seen captured on camera this year.
The crispness is so damn effective that you see the birth of baby insects with no grain in frame - and in slow motion. I just want to know which camera he captured his shots on so that I can save up to afford it.
This could’ve easily been considered as a TV network special, but the remarkably compelling story of this couple and how they passionately made their dreams a reality and persevered through hard work and determination deserves the price of admission. Not only is it an inspirational tale, but it also works as a beautiful portrait of nature. Who needs the live action remake of The Lion King right now? The Biggest Little Farm nails the concept of the Circle of Life. The narrative is mostly set on John and Molly having to figure out the functionality of the farm and the majority of their conflict literally comes from predatory carnivores and Mother Nature herself. It’s so inspirational that it just makes you want to appreciate nature and the living creatures who inhabit it. But at times it has you going:
Due to the film being rated PG, it effectively plays as a family film, appealing for both kids and adults. It’s also very educational as it displays the roles animals and other living things play in the natural order of life, whether it deals with the food chain or the oxygen system or our society. It shows the functionality of the food chain and how natural resources are beneficial for living life. It does at times contain raw and graphic images of dead animals, but that’s life and none of it is jarring. It’s hella heartbreaking when it occurs, especially towards some of the animals that you will most likely find yourself attached to, but nothing is ever inappropriate. Plus, the entire movie is so cute. Once you meet the animals on the farm, your heart will immediately warm. There are short little vignettes featuring some of the animals in their element and honestly I want more of them. I want a John and Molly series just so I can keep up with their animals. Give them their own reality show on OWN. I’ll actually watch OWN just for them.
Some scenes feature cute picture book-like animated sequences to match the light tone of their story and express the dream-like state of John and Molly. While it doesn’t occur that often, it’s cute and well-detained whenever they appear.
For this being a very personal journey for the couple, the movie focuses more on John’s perspective and story, which is meaningful since it’s very reflective, but I wanted more of his wife’s input. Since she was the ultimate dreamer of the farm in the first place, and based on how prominent her narration is in the beginning, it feels odd how she is kind of dropped as the story progresses.
The Biggest Little Farm is a beautiful portrait and celebration of the circle of life told as a personal doc with enough cute animals and gorgeous framework to win the hearts of everyone.
Rating: 4.5/5 | 91%
