PORTRAIT OF A GARDEN
A film by Rosie Stapel
2016, 98 minutes
2016, 98 minutes
No. 040
Documentary
Documentary
Description
In a picturesque garden on a grand country estate, two long-time friends, an 85 year-old pruning master and the gardener, tend to the espaliers. Surrounded by vegetable patches, citrus trees, the orchard and lush grapevines, they talk about food, the weather, their craft (which is quickly disappearing) and the changing world around them.
Rosie Stapel’s magnificent documentary, Portrait of a Garden is an ode to nature as well as the delicate, interdependent relationship between humanity and the natural world. Chronicling four seasons in the life of a restored 17th century garden, the film follows two master gardeners at work — pruning branches, planting trees, tilling land, and inspecting a wide variety of fruit, vegetables and plants (each species designated with its name on screen). The film also captures their conversations, as the two men share their knowledge of horticulture and concerns about the future of their work.
Beautifully illustrating the garden as a many-branched eco-system, the film culminates with the harvest and a grand feast under the spectacular pear arbor (that’s been fifteen years in the making) – and the preparations for next year.
Portrait of a Garden is an exquisite, transcendent viewing experience.
Rosie Stapel’s magnificent documentary, Portrait of a Garden is an ode to nature as well as the delicate, interdependent relationship between humanity and the natural world. Chronicling four seasons in the life of a restored 17th century garden, the film follows two master gardeners at work — pruning branches, planting trees, tilling land, and inspecting a wide variety of fruit, vegetables and plants (each species designated with its name on screen). The film also captures their conversations, as the two men share their knowledge of horticulture and concerns about the future of their work.
Beautifully illustrating the garden as a many-branched eco-system, the film culminates with the harvest and a grand feast under the spectacular pear arbor (that’s been fifteen years in the making) – and the preparations for next year.
Portrait of a Garden is an exquisite, transcendent viewing experience.
Festivals
* Official Selection, Berlin Film Festival
Reviews
“Highly recommended. This quiet documentary… serves as its own argument for the craft of traditional horticulture.” - Educational Media Reviews Online
