Sometime around 2010, Molly and John Chester were living in Santa Monica with their rescue dog, Todd. Todd was a cutie pie, but a major barker. So much so, in fact, that Molly and John were evicted. At the time, Molly was a food blogger, who focused on wholesome, healthy, organic options, and John was a wildlife cinematographer. Somehow, they got some investors on board and decided to buy a 200 acre farm about an hour north of LA. Over the next decade or so, John chronicled their life as new farmers and ended up making a heartwarming, inspiring film.
In the beginning, Apricot Lane Farms is only a dry desert with one sickly orchard. The Chesters hire a consultant, who teaches them about organic farming. They learn how to farm in a way that supports biodiversity rather than monocrops. They are determined to bring their soil — the foundation for all of the living things on their farm — back to health.Â
Every challenge John and Molly encounter (and there are many) is solved not with chemicals or pesticides, but by tweaking their mix of critters. They are determined to create a natural, balanced ecosystem on their tiny farm. (“Tiny” is relative. While 200 acres seems massive to me, the average farm in the United States is 444 acres. Some very large commercial farms are over 2,000 acres.)
These days there are a lot of documentaries and other sources of info that preach about everything that’s wrong with the world, how we’re headed for catastrophic disaster, how we need to be doing things differently, etc. I’ve watched many of them! Not saying I disagree, but the thing that sets this documentary apart is its tone. There are dark moments, but the overall feeling is uplifting and hopeful. The film doesn’t lecture or seek to change anyone’s behavior or become a movement. It simply tells one couple’s story of turning a small patch of dying ground into a living, thriving, healthy home for all of the creatures that live there.
John’s former career as a filmmaker serves the film well. He is a skilled cameraman and film editor, nicely piecing together vignettes about the animals on and around their farm, with bits about their personal lives, their mentor’s life — and death — and their constant, but ultimately satisfying, struggle to make the farm a holistic success.
The Biggest Little Farm – Recommended for:
- Animal lovers
- Fans of career reinvention stories
- Anyone interested in organic farming and/or biodiversity
Read more here:
From Poop to Nuts: Why the Breakout Doc Didn’t Sell to Netflix
Or…
Jill is a part-time librarian who loves finding new movies to recommend. She also grows flowers to complement her husband’s backyard beekeeping hobby. They have a one acre lot in north Baltimore County, which makes John and Molly’s 200 acres seem vast and numinous.
Windtree Bee 