I
stumbled upon this year's must-see documentary, The Biggest Little Farm.
Perhaps it was a teaser trailer online or a review I read somewhere. I'm a documentary enthusiast, so I was more
than thrilled to find the award-winning gem.
I instantly fell for the story of
Apricot Lane Farm. The documentary begins with hand-drawn animation - John and
Molly and their marriage, hopes and dreams that actually revolved around their
annoying yet loveable blue-eyed dog, Todd. Their love of Todd, a rescue who
would not stop barking when he was left alone, reminded me of the love I've had
for my own dogs. It didn't surprise me at all, as the documentary starts, that
John and Molly chose to move away from Los Angeles and purchase a farm so that
Todd could be with them all day long.
John and Molly found a 213-acre farm
only 40 miles north of LA for sale and purchased it with help from a family
investor. Initial video footage in the documentary reveals a dry and barren
wasteland with abandoned beehives, unproductive land, and fruitless and dying
trees. With the advice of a farming mentor, the miracle of nature, and their
absolute perseverance, Molly and John built Apricot Lane Farm into a thriving,
biodynamic business. The film's cinematography takes your breath away. The
captivating animals break or sooth your heart. Yet it's the documentary's clear
messages – heed Mother Nature and work
with the land and be patient – that will inspire everyone.
John Chester was raised in a family
living near Ocean City, Maryland. They taught him that every endeavor was
possible. He was a videography geek in high school, filming news through local
cable access and producing short films. His enthusiasm and passion led to a
move across the country to the west coast and Los Angeles. His popular series,
Random 1, was seen on the A&E channel. Fans adored the show, but it was
canceled after just one season. One particular episode was made into a feature
film, Lost in Woonsocket. I'll get to that significance later.
When
John and Molly met, and married, and then rescued Todd-the-dog, Molly was a
personal chef in the Los Angeles area. She had an inclination and talent for
using unusual and farm-fresh ingredients to create meals for her customers in
their homes.
The couple tried everything to stop
Todd from barking, even using a citronella collar that caused their apartment,
and Todd, to reek at the end of the day. Coming from an abusive environment in
a pet hoarder's home, their four-footed friend anxiously missed them. The
family of three was soon evicted. That led to the immediate end of Los Angeles
and apartment living. A new beginning on the farm included hundreds of animals
besides Todd – sheep herding dogs and sheep, horses, cows, ducks, chickens, and
one lovely pig.
John's 20 years of experience in
filmmaking played a significant role in the farm's story. The premise behind
Random 1 was that John, his partner Andre Miller, and the crew behind the scenes
would search for and find one person who needed help to turn his/her life
around. There were strict rules for the filmmakers to follow– no money could be
given or spent, the person who helped had to be a stranger to them, and the
mission to help must be completed within 24 hours.
John
and Andre broke the rule in Episode 4 in the fall of 2005, when they found two
men living in the woods in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. John's and Andre's
compassion could not leave the two severe alcoholics living in such desperate
squalor. Over several months, both men were given chances to recover and
actually reunite with their parents or children who had not seen them in years.
The documentary, Lost in Woonsocket, is a profound and hopeful story, and it is
now in our library's collection. Updates to the story can be found online.
It is John's empathy for fellow
humans that translates to his rescued dog, Todd, and to the animals on Apricot
Lane Farm. Spending a night with his nearly-dying hog, Emma, is just one of the
many moments that are inspirational in The Biggest Little Farm. And those
moments convinced John and Molly to persevere through the years of uncovering
the secrets, mysteries, conflicts, and successes of organic and biodynamic
farming.
No one really knew that nearly 8
years of filming from 2011-2018 would lead to such an inspirational film. John
didn't actually tell many people about his idea to knit the video clips into a
documentary about their farm. He didn't actually know until at least six years
in if the farm would be a failure or a success. Viewing film clips after five
or six years on the farm made him realize that he had actually been a pessimist
and that it was his wife, Molly's, never-ending belief and trust that got them
through.
The Chesters had a crew of hundreds
supporting and working with them over the years, both farmworkers and interns.
However, it was one person, Alan York, who was their muse right from the start.
Molly had researched farming experts and found York, an agricultural savant who
taught them how to create and design a biodiverse, working farm. He taught them
that nature, the land, the seasons, and animals work in a natural rhythm. What
they learned from him, above all, was that Mother Nature is on her own time
schedule. The challenges of weather, predators, and infestations hit them
head-on, and Alan saw them through those first tough years. Snails, birds, and
ladybugs biblically rained upon them. Coyotes and wildfires and drought and
rains threatened from all sides. It was Alan York who taught them to plant more
grass for the sheep, to efficiently collect more water in their aquifers, and
to collect their animal droppings to enrich the soil. Unfortunately, York died
of pancreatic cancer in 2014. But his lessons stayed with Molly and John, and
the land began to give back in miraculous ways.
John Chester wants everyone to watch
The Biggest Little Farm – even children. He's written a children's book about
his pig; Saving Emma the Pig was published this year. In an interview by his
hometown news, the Ocean City Dispatch, John insists that it is children over
the years who have saved our world – through convincing us to recycle, to wear
our seatbelts, to stop smoking. Seven-year-olds, third graders … "are
going to shape the world we live in. When they see something, and they believe
it, and they see opportunity in that, then they make us, as parents, do
things."
If you want to be inspired, check out
John Chester’s The Biggest Little Farm and Lost in Woonsocket from our library.
They are both foods for the soul.
