The Reel Review
This inspirational documentary chronicles the eight year journey of filmmaker John Chester and his personal chef wife Molly, as they pursue their dream of starting Apricot Lane Farms, a 213-acre organic farm an hour’s drive north of Los Angeles.
The film, with its adorable, brilliantly colorful wildlife photography and an emotionally stirring score, illustrates the fascinating challenges in harnessing the intricate complexity of nature to create, not only a wildly successful organic farm, but a thriving ecosystem chocked full of self-sustaining biodiversity. Incredibly, on this rare, biodynamic farm, with its 100 types of vegetables and 75 varieties of fruit, everything has a purpose – cows, chickens, pigs, gophers, weasels, ducks, bees, owls – even the coyotes. It is enchanting, optimistic and filled with hope for our future.
This life affirming and inspirational film is proof that with patience and a bit of problem solving creativity, everything, and everyone, has a place in the world. Prepare to cry.
REEL FACTS
• John Chester came up with the idea of this documentary after producing several picture books and segments about Emma the pig for Oprah Winfrey’s SuperSoul Sunday TV series on OWN.
• The Biggest Little Farm co-writer Mark Monroe also was a writer of the Oscar-winning documentaries Icarus (2017) and The Cove (2009)
• For more information on the farm today, visit apricotlanefarms.com
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