The Quesnel Film Club’s fall season is coming to a close this week with The Biggest Little Farm, a documentary that follows an American couple as they start their own farm.
Emmy Award-winning filmmaker John Chester and his wife, Molly, a culinary writer, trade city life to start their own farm on a stretch of depleted soil outside Los Angeles. Part of their inspiration is to offer a better life outdoors for their rescue dog, Todd, but they also want to live in better harmony with nature, according to the Quesnel Film Club’s brochure.
Chester chronicles their efforts for more than eight years in this “sweeping epic” about the creation of Apricot Lane Farms. New to the world of agriculture and farming, John and Molly enlist the help of Alan York, a plant, soil and biodynamic consultant whose vision is to raise an array of crops and livestock.
York cautions that it will take seven years before they fully realize their potential.
“During that time, they face mounting obstacles: coyotes, insects, bad weather and disease, like a modern-day enactment of Little House on the Prairie,” states the brochure. “Most farmers would respond with pesticides, extermination and concentration on a single crop, but, following their guide, John and Molly remain steadfast in their commitment to working with nature and not against it.
“Teeming with stunningly beautiful images of flora and fauna — including a pregnant hog that will melt your heart — The Biggest Little Farm, which played Hot Docs 2018, is a testament to idealism. For urban viewers, it’s a necessary confrontation with how our food is grown. It’s also a family adventure, full of suspense and emotion, that will leave a lump in your throat.”
The Biggest Little Farm will be shown Thursday, Dec. 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the Carib Theatre. Regular admission is $10, and seniors admission is $8. Film club memberships are included in admission.
For more information, call 250-992-6298, email quesnelfilmclub@gmail.com or look for Quesnel Film Club on Facebook.
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