naxav Reviews

The Biggest Little Farm (2018)

Beautiful and touching movie that unfortunately lacks a bit of transparency

[8/10 · 13 March 2020]

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 Age of Consequences (2016)

Beautifuly shot yet flawed

[7/10 · 10 February 2020]

First and formost, this movie looks great! There are many drone shot scenes, well set-up interview environments, great shots and clips from the ground and fantastic computer generated simulations. It does add upp to a nice to see documentary. Add an important topic to it such as climate change and its impact on geopolitics, while also pointing out the important fact that climate change is only part of chaos at hand. and it seems difficult to fail, right? Yet it does feel lackluckster. While pointing out the threat of chinese global expansion along with a view other countries it never dares to talk critically about its own, the USA. This slowly meanders into the movie feeling oddly xenophobic, and sadly so. I really liked many parts of this documentary, but i cant let myself fully enjoy what i was seeing as i had this nagging feeling that it also wanted me to feel better about all the US, despite all shortcomings it has on its own.

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014)

Great message, heavily biased execution

[6/10 · 9 February 2020]

I totally endorse the vegan movement and acknowledge all of its benefits to wellbeing, animal rights and efforts of reducing our carbon footprint. I've seen this movie inspire a lot of people for a very good cause, to make the world a better place. I do however object to the way the movie tries to argue for its sake. It feels like the directors didnt really have an interest in laying out all the facts to the viewers so not to dilute the message they wanted to bring forth. This does however make it extremely hard to not get frustrated at how the facts are presented. One of the earliest examples comes when Kip meets with the Water Use and Efficiency Branch representatives. These guys are quite obviously talking about the treated water that the cities they manage carry in their pipes. Reducing sources of wasted water, such as gardening hoses being on for too long or filling up your pool in a dry summer, is a major concern for them, as the water they can treat and the source of the treated water is finite. The water counted for the production of a hamburger is on the other hand a mix of many kinds of water, where fully treated water is almost never used one of them. This biased and unfair reporting of facts is repeatedly made used of. All in all it makes this a difficult documentary to watch, despite its beneficial message. I therefore cant bring its score much higher than around 6.