Originally published on FilmInquiry
It’s a dream I think many big city residents have had – leave the stress and the fast pace behind, get some land, start a farm and live a life more in tune with nature. For John and Molly Chester, it wasn’t just a dream. The Biggest Little Farm chronicles their eight year journey from Santa Monica to a farm north of LA and a mission to build a farm that coexists with nature instead of overpowering it.
Especially in a world in the midst of climate change and Trumpian era policy around it, it’s inspiring to see the wonder of nature take hold through the Chesters‘ hands. It’s a surprisingly personal story, which purposefully or not, is as much about the farmers as it is about the farm. While the film reads as a fantasy come to life (and it is), creating a lush paradise on barren land, John and Molly‘s creativity and refusal to quit make them a force to be reckoned with.
The Biggest Little Farm is a gorgeous documentary on par with the raw beauty of Planet Earth or any other nature documentary. Where it separates itself is the personal story and just how invested the viewer becomes in their success. It’s a must see that can only truly be appreciated in a theatre – don’t wait to see it at home. Surely, it’s one of the year’s best documentaries.
It’s not just a farm, it’s the story of a couple’s creativity and perseverance
Over the course of eight years, we see John and Molly face a number of struggles. First, they can’t get running water on the farm, then the soil is no good. Once they start growing, their fruit gets eaten by bugs and birds and their pig gets sick. Even the coyotes join the party, helping themselves to the chickens for dinner. It’s easy to forget that the Chesters have no farming experience.
The way they approach problem solving while sticking to their guns on living with nature instead of fighting it is wildly impressive. By the end of the 91-minute runtime, John‘s ingenuity isn’t even a surprise anymore.
Nobody was better suited to make the film
John Chester was uniquely suited to make this film. His background is shooting nature shows and documentaries, and it shows. Every single shot of the film that’s not home footage is absolutely breathtaking. There are wide sweeping shots of the farm and fruit trees that looks like a CGI Garden of Eden. There are macro shots of birds, bees, and bugs that capture the beauty of nature on the smallest scale. In addition to being a wildly talented shooter and farmer, he’s also a guy that’s really easy to like. It goes without saying, but nobody could have captured the spirit of their journey as well as he did.
Mother nature is truly magical
John and Molly bring in a mentor named Alan York. He’s kind of like an older Matthew McConaughey if he was an all-natural farming expert who knew how to turned dead soil into an oasis. York speaks about how to create a vaguely utopian place where all different parts of a diverse ecosystem feed each other to make magic.
It’s hard to believe when you see all the struggles that Apricot Lane Farms goes through. The massive infestation of snails alone seems impossible to overcome. But York was right – things that seemed like problems become solutions and the diversity helps the farm thrive. The coyotes help control the gopher population. The ducks eat the snails. It all works in harmony. To see the transformation of the land is awe-inspiring. It looks like something out of a dream, but really it’s a dream and a lot of hard work.
The Biggest Little Farm: A story you can’t help but root for
From the moment John and Molly adopt their dog, their story is one you get behind. I never thought I’d be so invested in the health of a pig named Emma or heartbroken by the death of her rooster friend. But at the center of it all is a couple that’s living the dream so many think about. You want them to succeed. You need them to. John was the perfect person to document the journey and show off the power and force of what happens when nature works in harmony. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Go see The Biggest Little Farm.
Did you catch The Biggest Little Farm at a festival? What did you think? What’s your favorite nature documentary? Sound off in the comments.
The Biggest Little Farm hits US cinemas on May 10.