THE STORY – The Nelson brothers are on a mission to become the largest farmers in the US, but after two years of poor harvests, the new year brings as much opportunity as uncertainty. This season, the brothers must work together as they farm more land than ever, facing the headwinds of climate change, equipment failures, and familial tension along the way.
THE CAST – N/A
THE TEAM – Natalie Baszile & Hyacinth Parker (Directors)
THE RUNNING TIME – 95 Minutes
The Tribeca Film Festival can be a great way to discover documentaries that might not normally catch your eye, and the intimate (yet expansive) feature “Harvest” is just one example. Despite focusing on just one family, it covers a wide range of topics, including class, politics, and race, while remaining relevant. Mother-daughter filmmakers Natalie Baszile (who wrote the book “Queen Sugar”) and Hyacinth Parker have crafted an impactful, timely documentary about four brothers who aim to become the largest farmers in the U.S. They’ve primarily been harvesting corn and soy beans, two very important commodities, which is why it’s easy to root for them to succeed: without farmers like these (whose business was started by their father), Americans would literally starve. And yet, the filmmakers seem to try to focus on too much in 95 minutes. The Nelson brothers are so personable and likable that this story may have benefited from a limited-series (or multi-part) treatment.
Life isn’t easy for the Nelson brothers – and yes, one of them is named Willie Nelson – which you wouldn’t necessarily guess from how cheerful and lighthearted they often appear. They’ve experienced two years in a row of poor harvests, with the coming harvest season bringing as much uncertainty as opportunity. When they obtain even more land than ever before – thousands of acres – they set a high bar, battling climate-change-driven weather extremes like droughts, equipment failures, and family tension. It’s also a struggle to keep their business afloat in general, since they don’t take any real wages. They’re just lucky to break even. They have no control over the weather and other things that affect their daily lives.
It’s clear from the very beginning that all four brothers are very close, and all have high ambitions. They seem to be motivated by love, and also use their faith to push them through the difficult days. Also, they’re very honest in how you have to fight for your dreams, because they won’t exactly be handed to you. The brothers also don’t shy away from discussing the darker aspects of what they do, including how they’re often away from their partners and children for months at a time during the harvest. Sadly, one of them lost his son in a tragic farm-related accident several years prior to filming, and he and his other brothers are honest in talking about their grief. Fortunately, instead of making them shut down and give up, it made them work even harder, and this type of attitude is inspiring, to say the least.
Keith Walker’s cinematography features beautiful views of the corn fields, especially when the camera pans across the vast acres, making you realize how much work this really is, even for people as experienced as the Nelson brothers. “Harvest” is also an undoubtedly hopeful documentary, especially as they enjoy having more land and deciding to harvest cotton.
“Harvest” is a bit unfocused at times, especially as it may quickly go from the brothers and their work to another family discussing something seeming unrelated to the work. (Also, we get a couple of scenes where the brothers argue about their work and who has done what, but that is never really resolved or explained.) However, the timeliness and importance of this topic cannot be denied. The American food system relies on farmers and families like these. It’s a documentary that may go under the radar this year, yet is still worth checking out.
