
The Biggest Little Farm
Festival circuit hit documentary that follows filmmaker John Chester, his wife and their dog as they chase their dream to set up a sustainable farm - with zero experience.
"It all started with rescue dog, Todd. He just didn’t like living downtown, so cameraman John and caterer Molly decided to up sticks and move to a rundown homestead an hour outside the city. Their aim was to farm in harmony with nature – but the snails, coyotes and bugs etc., had other ideas. Restoring the soil, fighting off infestations, nursing pregnant pigs, coping with fire and drought – it’s all in a day’s work for the determined couple. By year eight, the natural world is rebounding – barn owls, bobcats, gopher snakes and more – and Apricot Lane Farm is alive with infinite possibilities." (Sydney Film Festival)
- Director:
- John Chester ('Rock Prophecies', 'Lost in Woonsocket', 'Euphoria')
- Writer:
- John ChesterMark Monroe
- Cast:
- John ChesterMolly Chester


Reviews & comments

FilmInk
press…a synecdoche of the world’s ecosystem, portrayed through the cyclical design of a singular farm, and imbued with enough sheer optimism that it proves quite infectious.

Stuff
pressAlthough punctuated with some engaging and clever two-dimensional animation, the joy of Biggest Little Farm comes from its warts-and-all chronicle, as initial excitement turns to slow disillusionment and real fear of failure. It's as if their hardships make the drama feel more real.

Los Angeles Times
press[O]nce you absorb back-to-the-earth porn as lovingly crafted as "The Biggest Little Farm," you might just turn into one of those market gadflies who wants nothing but the most authentic story behind that dewy stone fruit or mocha brown egg.

The Guardian
pressThose interested in farming, adorable animals and environmentally friendly lifestyles will swoon over this lovingly made documentary...

Time Out
pressLike a cross between 'Microcosmos' and an origin story for Old MacDonald, this wonderful doc is possibly the most joyous 90 minutes you'll spend in a cinema this year.

Empire Magazine
pressThe gentle rhythm of this timely, environmentally conscious documentary will temporarily draw you away from the world of tiny screens into a partially ambiguous yet fulfilling tale of endurance.

Stuff
pressAlthough punctuated with some engaging and clever two-dimensional animation, the joy of Biggest Little Farm comes from its warts-and-all chronicle.

Variety
pressAudiences are invited to connect with the material as they might a good James Herriot story, forging a kind of familiarity that includes them in problem-solving each challenge, with the result that viewers share in the triumph of each tiny success.

Hollywood Reporter
pressOnce the film drops its initial idealisation of back-to-the-land fantasies in favour of a more realistic assessment of the challenges involved, it becomes genuinely involving and heartening.

FilmInk
press…a synecdoche of the world’s ecosystem, portrayed through the cyclical design of a singular farm, and imbued with enough sheer optimism that it proves quite infectious.

Stuff
pressAlthough punctuated with some engaging and clever two-dimensional animation, the joy of Biggest Little Farm comes from its warts-and-all chronicle, as initial excitement turns to slow disillusionment and real fear of failure. It's as if their hardships make the drama feel more real.

Los Angeles Times
press[O]nce you absorb back-to-the-earth porn as lovingly crafted as "The Biggest Little Farm," you might just turn into one of those market gadflies who wants nothing but the most authentic story behind that dewy stone fruit or mocha brown egg.

The Guardian
pressThose interested in farming, adorable animals and environmentally friendly lifestyles will swoon over this lovingly made documentary...

Time Out
pressLike a cross between 'Microcosmos' and an origin story for Old MacDonald, this wonderful doc is possibly the most joyous 90 minutes you'll spend in a cinema this year.

Empire Magazine
pressThe gentle rhythm of this timely, environmentally conscious documentary will temporarily draw you away from the world of tiny screens into a partially ambiguous yet fulfilling tale of endurance.

Stuff
pressAlthough punctuated with some engaging and clever two-dimensional animation, the joy of Biggest Little Farm comes from its warts-and-all chronicle.

Variety
pressAudiences are invited to connect with the material as they might a good James Herriot story, forging a kind of familiarity that includes them in problem-solving each challenge, with the result that viewers share in the triumph of each tiny success.

Hollywood Reporter
pressOnce the film drops its initial idealisation of back-to-the-land fantasies in favour of a more realistic assessment of the challenges involved, it becomes genuinely involving and heartening.
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